Back from the Veil
by flowerchild33
Summary: Sirius returns. Years have passed. Everything has changed. Everyone has grown up. Especially one young witch. - Rated M for Chapter 11 and on.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Arriving

The sea boiled and frothed in the storm blowing from a northeasterly direction off the vast expanse of ocean. It had been blowing for five hours at a steady pace and was finally letting up. As the winds died down, locals who were gathered in small cottages and huts began to tentatively look out their doors and windows. Local hotels were mostly shut down for the season, but one small hotel had left a wing open with several staff remaining for the occasional off season tourist. One of these was a caretaker named Chahaya who ventured out while the wind was still dying and headed down to the water. Storms often blew interesting debris out of the Indian Ocean and occasionally something of value would surface. In the thirty years that Chahaya had worked at the small hotel he made a fair bit of profit scavenging from the sea. As he approached the dark sands near the hotel, his trained eye began scanning for anything unusual. There was plenty of organic debris, from seaweed to water logged coconuts, which Chahaya passed over without a second glance. He located several intact shells that would sell for a small amount in the tourist shop and pocketed them before proceeding on down the shore as the wind continued to diminish. After walking for a couple kilometers, Chahaya was beginning to consider turning around when something caught his eye near the tide line a hundred meters ahead of him. Picking up his pace, Chahaya neared the lumpy object and suddenly realized what he had found. Whispering prayers to several local deities, the caretaker moved forward to examine the body.

As he approached, Chahaya mentally prepared himself for what he would find. His uncle had once found a woman washed up on the beach and had detailed how badly bloated and horrific the remains were. Chahaya expected to find something similar and began to calculate how far he was from the nearest village polisi station. Then, something unexpected occurred when the body twitched and moved. The caretaker was startled and briefly considered running off. Still, if the man was alive it was his duty to assist, so he moved closer and circled the man cautiously. When he reached the man's head, Chahaya found him opening his eyes as he took several shuddering breaths. After several minutes, the man calmed and looked up at the caretaker. He began to speak, but Chahaya knew only a few English words that he had learned from hotel guests and could not understand much of what the man was saying. The one piece of information that the two men did manage to exchange were names. With no further way to communicate, the caretaker helped the bedraggled man stand and gestured him to follow. Sirius took the hint and pulled his lanky body off the beach as he made his way in Chahaya's footsteps.

When they finally reached the hotel, Chahaya bypassed his hut and led Sirius on into the village polisi station. Once they reached the station, Chahaya explained where he had found the man and that he seemed to be British by his speech. No one in the office spoke much English either, so Sirius' attempts at communication were largely in vain. Frustrated, Sirius collapsed in a chair and decided to wait on the locals. Sirius was still a bit fuzzy and had little idea of how he had ended up where he was. The last thing he remembered was fighting the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries. Then there was a flash of light and a feeling that he was falling. After that his next memory was waking up sore and tired on the black sand beaches of wherever he now was. As the local polisi and Chahaya conversed, one word hit Sirius' and gave him his first clue. The men mentioned Jakarta and Sirius was stunned. 'Jakarta? As in Indonesia? How in the bloody hell had he ended up in Indonesia?' Eventually the men finished their debate and the polisi turned to Sirius and gestured for him to follow. Still confused, Sirius rose and followed the man to a car, where he was holding the door open, smiling at Sirius and motioning him to enter. As Sirius moved forward, he turned to the man who had found him on the beach and thanked him. Chahaya smiled and waved before turning around and proceeding back to the hotel. Sirius then climbed in the small Muggle automobile, glad that Lily had once educated him on the strange Muggle contraptions.

The drive was bumpy but scenic. The polisi who drove was named Hameng something or other. The name was long and Sirius couldn't begin to wrap his tongue around it, not that he had much need to speak as they man kept a moving dialogue in his local tongue with an occasional English word thrown in. The only information that Sirius much understood was that the village they just left was called Pangandaran and their destination was Jakarta. In Jakarta, Hameng insisted there would be 'help'. As the drive continued, Sirius' main thought was a vague hope that Jakarta would have some kind of Ministry of Magic. The drive seemed to take forever and eventually Hameng quieted down. They made several stops along the way in villages that were no more than a few small huts with an occasional modern concrete block building. The car was fueled at several points, but only in one larger town was there an actual pump. Most of the smaller towns simply fueled the polisi via large fuel cans. Several hours after they started, Hameng stopped for fuel and disappeared for a few minutes, leaving Sirius in the car smiling at the young boy doing the fueling. When Hameng returned, he carried a paper sack, from which he produced several pieces of spiced chicken and two cups of a sticky, slightly sweet rice. It was the first food Sirius had seen since his arrival in Indonesia and he dove into while thanking Hameng. Finally, nearly eight hours after they had left the coast, Sirius saw a collection of lights on the horizon and realized they were approaching a large city. Hameng entered the city and began to navigate through a maze of streets before finally stopping in front of a gray building with yellow trim. Sirius took Hameng's cue, exited the car and followed him into the building.

An hour later, Sirius was sitting in the polisi captain's office relaying his brief story for a second time through an interpreter. Since he was in a Muggle office, Sirius gave very little information. The story he concocted was that he had been on a British cargo ship and had washed overboard. He remembered nothing until he woke up on the beach where Chahaya had found him. He knew the story was weak, but there was no way he could tell them the truth. Realizing that Sirius wasn't going to give them more information, the captain and interpreter left the office, advising Sirius to wait. Frustrated, Sirius stood up and began to pace when he saw a newspaper sitting on the desk. Leaning over, he looked at the front page and bypassed the headline he couldn't read. Instead, he focused on the date: January 12th, 2003. That bit of news caused Sirius to collapse back into the chair. Seven years. It had been almost seven years since the battle in the Department of Mysteries. What had happened? Sirius had no clue.

Several minutes later the captain and the interpreter returned and they did not look happy. He glared at Sirius and began speaking so quickly that the interpreter had a hard time keeping up. The captain had run his name through the computer and had found out that Sirius Black had been declared dead by British authorities over six years earlier. Which meant that the man in his office was an imposter and most likely a drug smuggler. He informed Sirius that he was going to be held until he told the truth or someone appeared who could provide appropriate papers. He was welcome to make a phone call if he wished. Sirius sighed, he had never used a Muggle telephone in his life and no one he knew had a phone to call. When Sirius said nothing more, the captain called in a young polisi who took Sirius by the arm and led him to the back of the building. Once there, Sirius was shoved into a cell. He heard the door lock behind him and shuddered. 'How the hell am I getting out this?' Sirius thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Returning

Sirius remained in his cell in the Jakarta police station for two days. The guards walked by about once an hour and meager meals were delivered in the morning and evening, but no one spoke to him. He had been contemplating what to do and wondered how  
long they could hold him without charges. Sirius knew nothing about Indonesia and even less about their legal system. He had finally decided that he would demand to speak to a lawyer. As he waited for the next guard to make his rounds, Sirius was  
startled when a woman appeared before the usual patrol was due. The woman peered in at him and then smiled as she began to speak.

"Hello Mr. Black. I am Budiwati, a liaison with the local British consulate. We received word yesterday evening that you were being held here. Your arrival has caused a fair bit of confusion, but I think we have it sorted now. I am here to see to your  
release. You are being remanded to consulate custody on the condition that we guarantee you will leave the country within twenty four hours. Ah, here comes the guard now."

Sirius stood back as the guard arrived and unlocked his cell. He stepped out and followed Budiwati out into the main office. As they walked down the hall, Sirius began to question her.

"Thank you for your assistance. So, are my records all clear? The captain said I was listed as dead, but obviously that's not true. Where am I going after I leave the country? Back to England?"

"Mr. Black, more information will be given to you in time. For now we need to handle local politics. Please remain quiet and let me get you out of here first."

Looking into the woman's determined eyes, Sirius desisted and stopped talking. They reached the office and the she took over, filling out and signing the appropriate papers. Within minutes everything was complete and she took Sirius by the arm and led  
him out the door to a waiting taxi. The taxi pulled away quickly and Sirius was about to begin his questions again when a sharp look from Budiwati quelled him. After a half hour spent in jostling traffic, they pulled up in front of the local Hilton  
and she escorted Sirius inside. They bypassed the front desk and made their way to the lift, where Budiwati punched the button for the fifth floor. They reached the floor and she led the way to a room and produced a key for the door. They entered  
the modest but comfortable room and thenshe became instantly alert as she checked the entire place, from the bathroom to the closet. Once she realized they were alone, she did something unexpected and wonderful when she drew her wand and cast  
privacy and silencing charms.

Sirius grinned. "You're a witch! Thank Merlin!"

"Yes Mr. Black. Now that we have a bit of privacy, I can talk. I work with the local consulate in a strictly Muggle administrative capacity, but with a secondary job of being the primary in country liaison between the local Board of Magic and Muggle authorities.  
The magical community here is much smaller and the Board is comprised of about sixty people total, much smaller than your Ministry. When the local consulate received notice that you were in custody and began queries with the British authorities, sources  
within Britain notified your Ministry who then contacted the Board of Magic here. The Board then arranged for me to make the arrangements for your release. This required a good bit of coordination, which is why you had to remain in jail for several  
days, which I apologize for. We have managed to keep the secrecy statute in place, but several local consulate members are suspicious. So, the sooner I can get you out of here and stop the questions, the better we all will be. Now, details on your  
travel. I have arranged a portkey that will be leaving in approximately three hours. Due to the distance, you will make two portkey jumps. The first portkey will deposit you in the apartment of an agent in Dubai. You will spend two hours there resting  
before the second jump that will take you to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry. I am told there are no legal charges pending against you, but they have quite a few questions. Now, do you have questions for me?"

Sirius took a minute to assimilate what he had just been told. The fact that he had no charges pending was a happy bit of shock. The idea that he would be traveling all the way back to England via portkey was also fascinating and he was happy he wouldn't  
have to do a single long jump. As he continued to think, Sirius still had a lot of questions, but none that he felt the Indonesian woman could answer.

"No, Budiwati, I have no questions. It seems that this has all been well arranged. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, the portkey is this old shoe. It leaves in two hours and forty seven minutes. This hotel room is maintained by the consulate for emergency use. You will find personal items in the bathroom and a selection of clothes in different  
sizes in the closet. The refrigerator is also stocked with snacks. Please take the time to clean up and relax before your departure. I ask only that you do not leave the room for any reason. The staff has been advised to not disturb you. I have to  
leave now. Good luck Mr. Black."

Sirius said goodbye to the young witch as she left the hotel room. Looking around, he decided a shower was his first priority and made his way to the bathroom. A half hour later he was clean and shaven, thanks to the items left by the consulate. He had  
found a decent fitting pair of trousers in the closet and a simple button down shirt that were a large improvement over the old clothes he had been wearing for days, or years as the case may be. Sitting down on the bed, he sipped a beer and ate some  
crackers and cheese. Not wanting to miss the portkey, Sirius refused to lay down and instead flipped through several English magazines that the consulate had left. Watching the clock, Sirius took hold of the old shoe that had been designated as his  
portkey. Two minutes later, he felt the familiar tugging at his navel as he tumbled into a twisting nothingness. Minutes later Sirius landed on a plush rug in an opulently decorated Baroque living room. His arrival was none to graceful as he landed  
on his bum and looked up into a round, smiling face.

"Ah, hello my friend. You would be Mr. Black. I am Ahmed and welcome to my apartment. In case you haven't been told, you are now in Dubai. I understand you traveled from Jakarta, which is a long trip to make by portkey. You must be tired. Or are you hungry?  
You have a couple hours until your next connection and my home is open to you."

Sirius stood and greeted his host. "Good day Ahmed. You may call me Sirius. My apologies on my rough entry. I've never traveled that far by portkey. I must admit I'm quite tired."

"Of course, of course. Come! You may rest in one of the guest rooms. I will wake you when it is close to the time for the next portkey."

Sirius followed the happy little wizard down a hall and into a bedroom that was almost as opulent as the living room. A large bed covered in an elaborate damask spread occupied most of the room and Sirius stumbled toward it. Ahmed smiled as Sirius collapsed  
on the bed and closed the door to let Sirius rest. Two hours later, Ahmed woke Sirius with a small shake.

"Sirius. It is almost time. You have five minutes if you wish to use the water closet. The portkey is this bottle."

"Excellent, thank you Ahmed."

"My pleasure Sirius. I will leave you now. May Allah be with you."

Sirius made a quick stop in the loo before returning to the bedroom and taking hold of the old bottle. A minute later the familiar tugging signaled the start of the second leg of his journey. Fifteen minutes later Sirius stumbled and found himself arriving  
in a Ministry office. A tall witch stepped forward to shake his hand.

"Good day Mr. Black. I'm glad you arrived on time. I am Mathilda Foret and you are in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. We have a number of questions for you, but we need to summon someone who wants to see you first. The news of your return has  
caused quite the buzz here in the Ministry. Can you please take a seat while we call an old friend of yours?"

Sirius nodded and took the offered seat, more than a bit curious about who was being called. After everything that he had been through in the past several days, he decided not to question and just to wait. Mathilda left briefly before returning to sit  
across the desk from Sirius while they waited. The wait didn't last long when a knock at the door signaled the arrival of someone else. Mathilda waved her wand to open the door and Sirius' jaw dropped as Hermione strode in.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Coming Home

Sirius stood as Hermione entered and was struck momentarily speechless. In the years he had been gone she had grown up quite well. She was dressed in a very business appropriate blue skirt with an asymmetrical hem and a cream colored blouse with a V-neck, in which a light necklace with blue stones was arranged. Her hair was pulled back with just a few tendrils escaping. As she entered the office, Sirius was struck by a firm sense of authority that issued from her. As Sirius took a moment to adjust to the changes in Hermione, she closed the door behind her and scrutinized him with an undefinable look.

"Hello Sirius. Or at least that is who you appear to be. I'm afraid the news of your return seems a bit unbelievable. I have a couple of questions for you."

"Certainly Hermione."

"First, what unique plant did Dumbledore have planted at Hogwarts during your time at the school?"

"The Whomping Willow."

"Alright, and what is the name of the map that you and your friends created while you were students?"

"The Marauders' Map. Named for the four of us."

Hermione paled a bit and took a moment before asking one final question.

"And what is the pet name that you use for your godson and why?"

"Pup. Because my animagus form is a dog."

Hermione gasped as her eyes filled with tears and she stepped forward to embrace Sirius.

"I can't believe it. It's really you. After all this time. They told me you had returned, but I had to check for myself."

Sirius hugged Hermione for a moment before they stepped back and he looked down on her. He smiled to himself as he saw that she was recovering and composing herself, gaining the air of authority that she had entered the office with.

"That's quite understandable Hermione. And your questions were quite good. Even the best impostor wouldn't have answered all three correctly. I must say it is good to see you. I have a million questions of course, but I don't know what my legal status is."

Hermione looked over at Mathilda and her full authority was reinstated as she took command of the situation.

"Well Mathilda, I can definitively confirm that this man is Sirius Black. Since he has no criminal charges pending, I believe this situation is no longer in need of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I do thank you for the department's assistance in seeing that Sirius returned home as quickly as possible."

"No problem Ms. Granger. Thank you for ensuring his identity for us. I will admit that I have questions, but there is no reason to detain him further."

With that said, Hermione took Sirius by the arm and led him out of the office. They passed through the cubicles for the rest of the department and several people scrambled to move as Hermione led them purposefully out of the department. Sirius followed quietly, intrigued by the confident young witch that Hermione had become. When they reached the lift it was full, but several wizards exited with a tip of their hats to Hermione. Four floors later they left the lift and made their way to a large department that a sign showed was the Minister's staff offices. As Hermione entered, a couple more people scrambled and two of them made their way to greet her.

"Ms. Granger. You returned quickly. I have the papers you requested for your meeting at two."

"Thanks Ellie, but I will need you to reschedule that. I will be taking the rest of the day off. Graeme, I see you have the centaur's quarterly report ready, please review with George and then we will discuss it tomorrow. Also, Ellie, I need an emergency owl brought to my office immediately. I have several calls to make, and then I will be attending to personal business for the rest of the day and should not be summoned short of a national emergency."

"Yes Ms. Granger, of course."

Hermione pulled Sirius along as they left the outer offices and entered her own private office. Sirius was still a bit gobsmacked at watching Hermione give orders to several underlings and seeing them scramble to obey. Then he looked at the nameplate on her desk and his eyebrows shot up. It read: Hermione Granger – Senior Assistant to the Minister of Magic, Liaison for Magical Creature Relations. Finally Sirius found his voice and looked with new found appreciation on his godson's friend.

"Wow Hermione. I know I have a lot to adjust to. It seems you've done quite well for yourself."

"Thank you Sirius. After the war there were a lot of opportunities for smart, dedicated and hardworking individuals. I used the unique times to my advantage. Having Kingsley as the Minister helped as well. Where others discounted me due to my age, he did not. He works his staff hard, but he appreciates us and our abilities. Now, I need to notify several people about your return. I haven't said anything yet, as I wanted to confirm the truth for myself. I assume Harry would be the first person you wish to see?"

Sirius nodded his head, still absorbing the news that Hermione had blasted him with. 'After the war'? And Kingsley was Minister? He had a lot of catching up to do.

While Sirius stood contemplating, Hermione was busy. She pulled a small mirror out of a side cabinet and tapped it with her wand while saying 'Auror department'. A minute later, a middle aged man appeared in the mirror and grimaced at her as Hermione began to speak.

"Hello Williamson. There is a personal emergency and I need to have Harry return home immediately. Is he in the office?"

"No Ms. Granger. He is in the field on surveillance duty. It would be most troublesome to pull him out right now."

"Well then please trouble yourself. Find someone else to take his place. That is an order from the Minister's office, am I clear?"

"Yes Ms. Granger. I'll have one of the juniors go to his location. We should have him home within the hour."

Hermione nodded and tapped the mirror. Then she looked up at Sirius.

"Merlin's beard that man is always difficult. He's an excellent Auror, but as a director he's always been difficult."

Hermione then turned to the small fireplace in the corner of the office and reached for floo powder. Sirius just sat across the office in a bit of shock at the fact that Hermione had just issued orders to the director of the Auror department and he had followed them. Coming out of his daze, Sirius looked over and saw a familiar face in the fireplace. It was Ginny Weasley and Hermione was talking to her, much friendlier than she had been with Williamson.

"Hi Ginny. I know this is a surprise. I've got a bit of an emergency situation. No! Nothing bad. Harry is fine. Actually, he'll be home within the hour. I will also be coming with a guest. We should be there in about fifteen to twenty minutes."

"Alright Hermione. I'm intrigued. I'll see you in a bit."

The fireplace returned to normal and Hermione turned to Sirius.

"I'm glad you were well back and away where she couldn't see you. I think the news of your return will be best done in person. Now, there are a couple things you should know before we…"

Hermione was cut off by a knock at the door and she waved it open. The secretary, Ellie, was standing with a small owl on her shoulder and entered when Hermione beckoned her in.

"Ah Ellie, thank you. Please set him down on the coat rack. I still have to draft a note to the Minister and then I'll send him off. Once that's done, I'll be leaving for the day."

Ellie nodded, deposited the owl on the top of the coat rack and left the office. Hermione took a piece of parchment and began to scribble a brief note. Then she pulled out a seal and affixed it to the letter with a final tap of her wand. Crossing the room, Hermione tied the parchment to the owl. Then she opened her door and sent the owl on its way. Turning back to Sirius, Hermione continued where she had left off when Ellie arrived.

"As I was saying Sirius, there are a couple of details you need to know before we leave. When you disappeared almost seven years ago it was assumed you were dead. As such, your will was put in place and took effect when Harry came of age. After the war he moved into Grimmauld Place and it is the home for him and his family now. I have to warn you that you probably won't recognize the place. You should also know that he and Ginny married four years ago, so she is Ginny Potter now."

Sirius blew out a breath and took a moment to respond.

"Well, I'm thrilled to know Harry is doing well and is happy. As for the inheritance I left him, I'm not surprised. Nor do I mind. I hope though that they have a spare room for me for a while until I get adjusted and decide what I'm doing."

Hermione smiled. "Oh, that won't be a problem I'm sure. Now, we've delayed long enough and I know Ginny is waiting."

Hermione and Sirius left the Ministry and apparated to the doorstep of Grimmauld Place. From the outside, it looked much the same and Sirius had a range of emotions as he stood on the threshold of his childhood home. Hermione knocked and the door was opened almost immediately. Ginny stood in the doorway, looking more beautiful than ever and Sirius was once again boggled at how those that he had known young had grown up so well. Meanwhile, Ginny Potter looked first at Hermione and then past her to the man who stood behind her friend. Ginny went pale and began to tremble. Hermione took the initiative and stepped in the door to take her friend by the arm. Sirius followed, stepped into the foyer and suddenly felt dizzy and confused. The house was not the same place he had grown up with. The dark walls and grimy wood moldings had been replaced by polished wood that gleamed in the lamplight. The upper part of the walls were decorated with a wallpaper in a subtly modern design in shades of pale green and white. The whole hallway seemed brighter and several modern paintings graced the walls. Sirius took a moment and snapped out of his shock to hear Hermione speaking.

"Yes Ginny, I know it's a shock. I don't understand how myself, but I have confirmed he is Sirius. The questions he was able to answer convinced me. Can we go sit down and talk?"

"Oh, of course. Sorry Hermione. Please, come."

As they entered the living room, Ginny seemed to come out of her daze and turned to Sirius.

"Welcome home Sirius. I'm sorry for the way I've responded, it's just a shock."

Sirius smiled at her and turned to survey the living room, which had also been redecorated to such an extent that it was unrecognizable. Gone were the days of darkness and bitterness when his family had resided in the house. Now the place was warm and comfortable. He had been dreading returning, but now he felt better with the idea of staying here for a while. The three old friends then settled into comfortable couches as Ginny called out 'Quisi'. Seconds later, a young female house elf in an apron appeared and smiled at her mistress.

"Quisi, can you please make tea for four. Hermione, Harry's on his way home, right?"

"Yes Ginny. He should be here shortly."

Ginny smiled at the elf and she popped out to attend to their tea. Sirius was looking a bit puzzled and Ginny turned to him.

"There's a lot for you to catch up on Sirius. Kreacher died three years ago in his sleep. One morning he wasn't making breakfast and we found him in his closet. He was old, so it wasn't a surprise. We had him cremated and spread his ashes in the garden. After he was gone, we hired Quisi. She's one of the new modern house elves. It's probably more Hermione's place to explain all of that to you, as it's her department."

Hermione smiled and continued for Ginny.

"Sirius, house elves are now recognized as fully sentient magical creatures and are due full rights and considerations under the law. We've abolished all of the old slavery notions. House elves still prefer to bond and serve a single family, but now they do so with certain protections. They are granted clean clothing on a regular basis, a certain standard of housing within the residence they serve, regular meals and a small weekly payment for their services. In addition, the Ministry receives a monthly fee for them and ensures they are not abused and receive medical treatment as necessary. Truthfully, what they receive is a mere pittance, but the elves are all quite happy with the new arrangements."

Sirius shook his head. "Well Hermione, it seems that your early goals have come to fruition. You've accomplished a lot in a few years."

Hermione was about to respond when a bell sounded indicating that front door was opening. Then they heard Harry's voice and Sirius' heart leaped.

"Ginny? Hermione? I'm home. Where are you? What's the emergency?"

"We're in the living room my love."

Sirius stood, faced the doorway and braced himself. Seconds later his godson entered the room and came to a dead stop, staring at him. A range of emotions flashed through Harry's eyes, but his face remained a hard mask. Seeing the disbelief in Harry's eyes, Hermione stood and went to her friend.

"I know it's a shock Harry. We still have a lot of questions, but he is who he appears to be. I interrogated him and he knew facts that only Sirius would know."

Harry took a moment to let Hermione's words settle into his brain. Then his carefully controlled Auror facade began to crumble and he took a couple tentative steps forward.

"Sirius? Really?"

"Yes pup. I'm home."

The rest of Harry's resolve cracked and he crossed the room to engulf his godfather in a hug.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – Catching Up

Harry embraced Sirius for a full minute before pulling back to examine his godfather. Sirius looked the same as he had the last time Harry had seen him, except for the fact he had shaved recently. He didn't appear to have aged at all. While Harry didn't see any changes in Sirius, the opposite was true for his godfather. Sirius looked at his godson and couldn't believe how much more he looked like James. He was still several inches shorter than Sirius. His face had refined with solid cheekbones and a strong chin that guaranteed that Harry Potter was not a man whose emotions would be easily swayed. His hair was longer, but still managed to look slightly unkempt. His eyes were the same green like his mother's, but they had a depth that spoke to the pain he had seen in his short life. As they hugged, Sirius also realized that Auror training had hardened his body. He was not bulky, but Sirius could tell that great strength lay within.

As Sirius and Harry stood looking at each other, Quisi popped back into the room with the tea tray. That brought the both of them back to the present and they turned to look at Ginny and Hermione as the four of them sat down for tea. Just as Quisi began pouring, Ginny pulled her wand out of her pocket and it seemed to be buzzing.

"Oh, looks like I need to go collect our next surprise for Sirius, I'll be right back."

Sirius looked a bit puzzled and began to sip his tea as he tried to figure out what Ginny had meant. Just as realization hit, Ginny reappeared carrying a small bundle. Sirius almost dropped his tea cup as his face lit up. Ginny crossed the room and knelt down in front of her husband and Sirius. She turned the bundle around and the small, sleepy baby looked up at his father as Ginny made the introduction.

"Sirius, I'd like you to meet our son. This is James Sirius. He was born seven weeks ago."

"James…Sirius? Really? He's beautiful."

Sirius stretched his hand out to caress the baby's cheek. Ginny reached and handed her son to his namesake. Sirius carefully took the baby into his arms and stared at him with a look of unwavering awe and devotion. Ginny stood and returned to her seat, smiling at Hermione who was dabbing her eyes. The conversation that had been about to start waited while Sirius marveled at James. Several minutes later the baby began to fuss and Sirius looked alarmed.

"What did I do? Is he okay?"

Ginny laughed and got up to retrieve her son.

"He's fine Sirius. Just hungry. I was going to feed him, but thought you should have a couple of minutes."

Ginny settled back onto the couch and pulled a blanket over her chest and the baby as she began to nurse her son. Sirius turned and looked at Harry.

"You named your son after me. I'm honored. And stunned. He's amazing."

"Thanks Sirius. We're quite smitten as well. Now, I've got a million questions. When did you arrive back? How?"

Sirius picked up his tea and began the tale of his waking up on a remote beach in Indonesia, being jailed in Jakarta, rescued by a local witch within the British consulate, then traveling back to the Ministry where Hermione finally confirmed the news that no one had been able to believe. He still wasn't sure how it had happened. He had no memory of his missing six plus years.

Harry turned to Hermione. "Do you know anything more from the Ministry?"

"No Harry. They received word less than two days ago. I have some guesses and I'm going to pull some favors to try to get some information out of the Unspeakables. Kingsley will help if we need him to. Which reminds me, I sent him a note telling him that I confirmed Sirius was back and that we were coming here. He's due back from Spain shortly, but the owl I sent has the ability to find him wherever. I don't know for sure, but he may show up here later."

Ginny groaned and called for Quisi. The elf popped in and looked at her mistress for instructions.

"Quisi, we have guests for dinner tonight. We will need food for five."

The elf nodded and popped out as Ginny turned back to Hermione.

"So Hermione, you said you had a guess. Given your reputation, you're probably correct. So, what are you thinking?"

"Time travel. Somehow that arch, whatever it is, transported Sirius through time."

Everyone stopped to consider what Hermione had said and it seemed to make sense. It still didn't explain how Sirius had ended up in Indonesia.

After a few moments contemplation, Sirius looked over at Harry and broke the silence of the room.

"Alright, so I know that I've been gone for almost seven years and a lot has happened. You might as well take the time we have now to start educating me. Hermione mentioned something in passing about 'after the war'. I have to assume Voldemort is gone from what I saw at the Ministry. I want to know the full story. Please don't try to protect me. I've already missed out on enough."

Harry sighed and waved his wand at a nearby cabinet. The doors opened and a selection of bottles and glasses were displayed.

"Alright Sirius, I'll tell you everything, but it will take some time. You should also have something a bit stiffer to drink. Firewhisky?"

Sirius nodded and Harry floated out a bottle and several glasses. Everyone except Ginny took one and downed their first shots before Harry took a deep breath and began back at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. He continued on with the details of his sixth year at Hogwarts and what Dolores Umbridge did while the Ministry tried to deny Voldemort's return. Then he covered the details of how the Ministry fell and the Death Eaters took control, leading to Harry, Ron and Hermione going on the run. Harry began to detail the story of Tom Riddle's past and the horcruxes. Around that point Sirius poured second shots for everyone. Next, Harry explained about the hallows and how their story interwove with the horcruxes. Next was the story of Malfoy Manor. Then Harry told Sirius about their breaking into Gringotts and fleeing on a blind dragon. That caused Sirius to take a deep, whistling breath. Finally, Harry came to the Battle of Hogwarts and found that it was easier to tell those details than it had ever been before. It had been nearly four years since Harry had told the story in such detail. At the end Harry had to look into Sirius' eyes and give him the news of all who had been lost, including Remus and Tonks. That revelation caused his godfather to cave in on himself as he hunched over and tried to contain his grief, unable to hold back the sobs. Harry put a hand on Sirius' arm and the room went silent to let everything settle in Sirius' mind. Eventually Sirius looked up and his haunted eyes seemed to look somewhere in the distance.

"Sorry Harry. I didn't know it would be that hard. I knew of course that it had to have been bad, but to hear about Moony, that I didn't anticipate. I can't believe I'm the last Marauder left. Remus Lupin was always the bravest of souls. To continue on with as normal a life as possible despite his affliction and then to fight for justice continually. James and I were always the loud ones. We were brave and we let the world know. Moony had a quiet strength to him. You said he and Dora were together when they died? I know she had a crush on him. He tried to keep her away, but I always thought he would lose that battle."

Harry smacked his forehead with his palm. "There's something else I haven't told you. Something incredibly good and wonderful from that last year. Tonks did wear Lupin down. They married a few months before the end of my sixth year. Then Tonks got pregnant. Lupin was distraught about that, but he came around. Their son Teddy was born shortly before the final battle and I'm his godfather. He's actually a frequent guest here."

"Moony, a father? That's incredible. I'm happy he got that chance, even if it was only for a brief time. I'd like to see the boy. If I could?"

"That shouldn't be a problem Sirius. I know Andi would be supportive."

"Andi? That would be Andromeda, Dora's mother, my cousin?"

"Yes. She's raising Teddy, although we try to help as much as possible. Her husband Ted was killed before the battle so Teddy is the only family she has left."

Sirius just sat, still looking dazed. He took another shot of firewhisky and downed it.

"Alright Harry, so that's what happened up to the battle. What has happened since?"

"Well, right after the battle everything was just strange. The three of us hung out around the Burrow for a couple of weeks, not knowing what to do with ourselves and trying to deal with grief. Ron had it the hardest, losing a brother. During that time Ginny and I got back together and Ron and Hermione finally declared their feelings. After a couple of weeks, we came out of a sort of fog and slowly started to figure out how to move forward. It wasn't easy. Ron and Hermione went to Australia to recover her parents. Hermione can tell you that full story. Meanwhile, I stayed and worked with the Ministry in a junior Auror capacity. I hadn't officially been trained, but a lot of Death Eaters were in hiding and they needed all the help they could get. I also took hold of my inheritances from my parents and you. When I wasn't away with the Aurors, I moved in here. Ginny visited a lot and began to help me clean and redecorate. Kingsley authorized a couple of the Aurors to help after hours. Then Ginny and Hermione returned to Hogwarts for their final year. Ron and I opted to take modified NEWTs and the following January we both had our official Auror training. I've been working in the department ever since. I became a senior lead investigator two years ago. Ron stayed with the Aurors for about a year and a half. He spent every free moment helping George at the shop and finally decided that he preferred that to being an Auror. He manages the Weasley Wizard Wheeze's branch in Hogsmeade now. Ginny and Hermione finished their last year at Hogwarts and Kingsley was waiting the next morning with an offer for Hermione. You've seen how well she's done. After school, Ginny spent four years playing Quidditch with the Harpies. She was traveling a lot, but every chance I had I would go meet her wherever she was playing. A couple years in I finally convinced her to marry me. Once she retired, we decided to start a family. She works part time with George as well now. His shop has four branches and keeps going. It was hard at first, but we all realized that to truly defeat the Death Eaters the best thing we could do was to move on, live, love, fight for justice and make happy lives for ourselves. My work isn't easy and Ginny worries a lot, but she's amazingly supportive and I feel like I'm making the world better for our son."

Harry finished and looked over to smile at his wife. The room was quiet for a few moments when Sirius spoke.

"Well, you've certainly done well Harry. I'm glad you found a good woman. So, Hermione, you and Ron are together now?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "No, not anymore Sirius. We were together for several years. As our careers accelerated we gradually grew apart and mutually decided to end our intimate relationship. We've made a point of communicating frequently and remain good friends. We've been through too much together to not remain close. He has a flat over the Hogsmeade shop and is living with his girlfriend, a Hufflepuff four years younger than him by the name of Chrissy. She's nice, tolerates Ron's moods better than I ever did. I think she may last, but Ron isn't ready to settle yet."

"Well, I guess it happens. Everyone grows up at a different pace. Moony once insisted that James and I would never grow up. How about the other Order members? How is everyone?"

Ginny was about to answer that question when a knock at the door stopped her. Harry rose quickly and went to answer it. A minute later Harry returned with Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic, following behind him. Sirius stood and looked at Kingsley as he entered. The two men took a moment to analyze each other. Then Kingsley's face lit up in a slow grin as he reached to take Sirius' hand.

"Sirius. I heard the news, but couldn't believe it. Then when Hermione wrote to me and said that she had confirmed it was you, well then I knew it had to be. Still, what a shock. Welcome though it is."

"Indeed Kingsley. And the shocks keep coming. We've been talking now for over an hour as I try to absorb everything I've missed. I think I'll be processing it for a long time yet. I must say, the news that you've been made Minister is welcome. I don't envy you the task, but I've seen a bit of how the Ministry is thriving under your care."

At that moment Quisi popped into the room and announced that dinner was ready.

Kingsley smiled. "My timing has always been impeccable. I haven't eaten since early this morning."

Harry chuckled as he took Ginny's hand and they led their guests to the dining room.

During dinner Sirius relayed his story to Kingsley and the Minister provided Sirius with a few more details on Order members. Kingsley stayed for a few minutes after dinner, but then had to leave for the Ministry. Ginny wondered what the Ministry needed him for at almost eight in the evening, but he was the Minister and he had been out of town for several days. Hermione stayed for another hour and filled in more details for Sirius, including her trip to Australia to recover her parents. She left about nine and Harry turned to Sirius.

"Well Sirius. I know you've had a long couple of days. I wish I could offer you your old bedroom, but I'm afraid we took your room and the small bedroom next to it and combined them into our master suite. We do have a guest room. I think you'll enjoy the decor."

"Whatever Harry. This is your home now. Truthfully, it never really was my home. I was never happy here. All I need right now is a bed."

Harry gestured for Sirius to follow and they made their way up to the second floor. The floor had four bedrooms total and Harry led Sirius to the second on the right side. Sirius stepped in and smiled. The room was one that his mother had once used as her sewing room and boudoir. In his mother's time the room was decorated in ghastly brown and pink wallpaper with sickly roses, although the walls were mostly obscured by the racks of garish robes she collected. Now the room was mainly occupied by a large four poster carved out of a light cherry with a footboard carved with lions. The bed covering was plush brocade in shades of burgundy and gold. The walls of the room were papered in a cream wallpaper with a faint gold embossed pattern. The ceiling was a very deep burgundy accented in magical, twinkling gold stars. It was as different from anything his mother had ever designed as night was from day.

"Wow Harry. This room is gorgeous. Gryffindor colors of course. I think I will be quite comfortable here."

"Well, it's yours for as long as you like. Ginny will be happy you like it. She's quite a designer."

"You're very lucky Harry. She's a special woman and you have a beautiful family."

"Thank you Sirius. The family is more complete now that you're home."

Harry turned and left his godfather before he could see the tears in Sirius' eyes. Wiping them away, Sirius stripped to his boxers and made his way to the bed. He had no other clothes, but decided that problem was one to be dealt with in the morning. He pulled back the covers, slipped into the very comfortable bed and was instantly asleep.

o-o-o

 _Thanks to all my readers and reviewers. The constructive and positive comments have been welcome as this and another story of mine have been receiving some venomous reviews lately and it's been frustrating. I am constantly working on improving, especially with my dialogue. I started writing about three months ago and I've learned a lot, so please let me me know what you think._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Re-acquainting

Sirius woke the next morning when a slant of sunlight hit his face through a gap in the curtains. He had no idea what time it was, but the sun was well enough up that he figured he should be as well. He pulled on his same clothes from the previous day  
and made his way down the hall to the loo. Then he descended to the kitchen and was happy to see Harry and Ginny were still eating.

"Good morning. I'm glad I'm not too late. What time is it?"

"Just after eight and it's my day off,so we usually sleep in a bit. James ate around three so we still have an hour until he is awake."

Sirius sat down and Quisi appeared with toast and tea, then looked up and addressed Sirius.

"Mister Black. I can fix you bacon and eggs immediately. How do you like your eggs?"

"Over easy Quisi."

The elf nodded and returned to her cooking. Sirius sugared his tea and looked up at Harry. Before he could figure out what to say, Harry spoke.

"Well Sirius, I have the day off so I'm at your disposal. I made a call to one of my contacts at the Prophet and your story hasn't hit yet. I wouldn't expect that to last. Soon the whole wizarding world will know about your return. So, what are your plans?"

"Hmm, I was just considering that Harry. There are a couple of people I need to see. First I'd like to see Andi and Moony's boy, then the Weasleys would be next. The rest of the Order should also be notified. I'd prefer they didn't hear from the Prophet.  
First though I think I need some clothes. Do you have any of my old trunks around?"

"No, when we cleaned out the house, I donated any clothes that were in good condition. We should probably make our first stop at a department store. Which brings up something else we need to discuss. You left your entire estate to me and now we need to  
contact a solicitor regarding the steps to reverse that. I still have plenty from my parents to find Ginny and I another place, but…"

Harry was cut off as Sirius scowled at him.

"No Harry! This is your home. Yours and Ginny's. It was never really home to me. It was my parents house, a place I hated. I want you to stay. The two of you have turned it into a lovely family home. As for the money, I may need some, but I don't want  
you to go through a full reversal of the will. For now I just need a place to stay and a few funds while I re-acquaint myself with the world."

Ginny let out a sigh and tears welled in eyes. Realizing what had caused her reaction, Sirius reached across the table and took her hand.

"Ginny, you can't honestly think I would let you give up the home you've made here?"

"No, I guess not Sirius, but I couldn't help but worry. Thank you. You 're welcome to stay here for as long as you want. Harry said you like the Gryffindor room."

Quisi arrived with the rest of Sirius' breakfast as Harry finished the last of his and looked back at Sirius.

"Well then, since that's decided, after we eat we'll go shopping for some essentials Sirius. Then we'll make a couple house calls. I don't know how long the shopping will take so I won't call anyone until we have an idea of when we will arrive. Ginny,  
do you want to come along?"

"Thanks love, but I think this needs to be a day for the boys. You and Sirius need the time."

An hour later Harry and Sirius left the house and proceeded to several shops. First, they started building Sirius a new wardrobe of trousers, jeans, button down shirts and polos, as well as a couple sweaters, a leather jacket and several pairs of shoes.  
They also collected all the personal grooming items that he would need. The shopping took most of the morning and Harry suggested that they stop at the Leaky Cauldron for lunch.

"Actually Harry, I think I should avoid the Leaky until I've talked to everyone. It would be my luck to pop in there and run into Hagrid or someone else I know. I can just imagine the reactions."

"Hmm, you're right, not a good idea. How about we pick up some fish and chips and go home and eat with Ginny?"

"Brilliant plan. I can also change into something a bit cleaner before we go house calling."

They arrived home with bags of food and Ginny was thrilled by the lunch selection. Before they ate, Harry made a couple of floo calls. First, he called Andi and explained he had a bit of a surprise and wanted to visit with a guest. She was puzzled, but  
agreed to see Harry in an hour. Next, Harry floo called the Burrow and spoke to Molly.

"Hi Molly. I know this is a bit last minute, but I was wondering if I could come visit later this afternoon? And bring a guest? Also, if it's possible, I'd like Minerva and Hagrid there."

"What? What are you up to son? Is everything alright?"

"Yes Molly, everything is quite good. I have a surprise."

"Well, okay. If you want me to call Minerva and Hagrid, why don't we make it dinner? You, Ginny, your guest, Arthur, myself, Minerva and Hagrid. That would be seven. Does that sound alright?"

"Sounds good Molly, but can we add one more? I'd like Hermione to come."

"Sure, fine. I'll be glad when you tell us what this is all about. Dinner will be at six as usual."

Harry pulled his head out of the floo and made his way to the table, where Ginny had spread out their lunch.

"I hope that was alright Sirius, dinner at the Burrow?"

"Certainly Harry. I'm always willing to eat Molly's cooking."

Ginny chuckled. "So Harry, I'd love to see Hermione more, but was there a reason to invite her as well?"

"Yes. She told me before she left last night that she's going to do some investigating about the arch and what happened to Sirius. I'm hoping she'll be able to give us an idea."

The rest of lunch was spent with Harry detailing the ongoing work of the Aurors in tracking down Death Eaters and other dark wizards. When lunch wrapped, Sirius went upstairs to change and shave in preparation for their trip to visit Andromeda. As Sirius  
made his way downstairs after getting ready, he felt an unusual bit of tension. Andromeda was technically his cousin, but he hadn't seen her since before his imprisonment. During the time of the second Order, his movements had been limited and Andromeda  
herself was not a member, although she had done what she could to support the cause. Sirius reached the downstairs hall and Harry was waiting for him.

"Nice Sirius. The clothes help. Now, instead of going by floo, I thought we'd apparate. It will give Andi a bit of time to adjust to your arrival. I'm afraid having you appear in her living room may be a bit overwhelming."

"Sounds fine Harry, although I think she's going to be overwhelmed anyway."

Harry shrugged and took Sirius's arm. Since Sirius had not been to the Tonks house since he was a student, Harry decided it was safer to side-along and Sirius did not disagree. They landed in the garden of the Tonks home and Harry made his way to the  
door with Sirius close behind. A few seconds after Harry knocked, Andromeda opened the door.

"Harry! I'm glad you deci…"

Andromeda went pale as she looked past Harry at Sirius. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Harry was about to reach for her when a blur of turquoise hair with legs came barreling out the door.

"Unca Hawwy! You came to play with me! Yay! You want lunch?"

Harry picked up his godson and hugged him. Briefly ignoring Teddy's requests, Harry looked back at Andromeda.

"Andi, I know it's a surprise. Can we come in and talk?"

Andromeda said nothing as she stepped back and opened the door wider. Harry made his way into the house with Sirius following. He set Teddy down and kneeled to talk to the boy.

"Teddy boy, Uncle Harry has had lunch and he wants to play with you, but first he needs to talk to your grandmum. Can you be patient and wait for me?"

The young boy looked at Harry, crossed his arms and jutted his chin. "Okay, I wait."

Harry stood back up and turned to Andromeda to give her a hug.

"Andi, I know it's a shock. It was for me as well, but this man is who he appears to be. We don't yet understand how. As soon as he heard about the battle and about Teddy, he wanted to come see you."

Andromeda took a deep breath and finally found her voice.

"Well Sirius, please come in and sit. I need to get off my feet for a few minutes."

She led the way as they proceeded to the living room. As Sirius was getting ready to take a seat he looked over on the mantle and saw a row of pictures. Stepping over to them, Sirius traced a finger along two of them that portrayed Remus and Dora. Then  
he turned back and looked at Andromeda as he found a seat. Andromeda looked over at the pictures and spoke.

"I suppose Harry told you everything from the battle? I lost my daughter that day. And my son-in-law. I was quite fond of Remus, despite his affliction. Nymphadora loved him so much. Some days I'm angry at her for insisting on going to meet him at the  
school, but she never wanted to let him go. I lost my Ted two months before the battle. I didn't think I wanted to live without him either, but I haven't been given a choice. At least I have Teddy. I was afraid that Harry as his godfather would want  
to take him, but he hasn't. He and Ginny have been great. Even before they were married they've been like second parents to him…Now, can you explain how you've returned? I still can't believe it."

"Before I do that Andromeda, I want you to know that I'll be here for you and Teddy also. I'm family to you, even if certain members of the family didn't want to admit it."

"Thank you. It will be good in a few years for Teddy to know more about his father. Within reason of course. I've heard a few things about what you lot got up to at school. As for family, I was disowned as much as you were Sirius. Of course, those who  
disowned us are mostly gone. Except for Cissy of course, but I haven't talked to her and Draco in almost a year."

Sirius wondered about what had happened to the Malfoys, but decided to leave that for later. Instead, he gave Andromeda the story of his arrival on a remote beach in Indonesia with no memories of the intervening years. When he finished, she looked even  
more stunned than she had before Sirius began.

"So, you have no idea how? Nothing at all?"

Sirius shook his head and looked at Harry, who had taken Teddy onto his lap. The boy was playing with a toy giraffe, but remained remarkably quiet as his godfather spoke up.

"No Andi, we don't have anything concrete. Hermione has an educated guess that sounds plausible. She's investigating further within the Ministry. She thinks the arch Sirius went through is a time travel portal."

Andromeda nodded her head.

"Well that does seem to make sense. Still, Indonesia? Let's hope she turns up something. Now, I think I've recovered enough. I have a fresh pitcher of lemonade and cookies if you'd like? Then you can play with Teddy a bit. I know he's the reason you came."

"Thanks Andromeda. The lemonade sounds good. And I didn't just come to see Teddy. It's good to see you after so long."

Andromeda smiled and left the room while Harry set Teddy down off his lap and looked the small boy in the eye.

"Teddy, this man is your Uncle Sirius. He was a friend of your dad's. He came to play with you too today."

"Yay! I go get anumules."

The excited boy's hair wavered between three colors as he darted out of the room, leaving both men smiling. Sirius stared at the doorway for a moment after the boy left.

"Looks like his father. Has his mother's coloring though."

Harry snorted.

"Yes, I forgot that detail. He changed his hair before he was two days old. Remus was thrilled."

Andromeda returned with the lemonade and cookies at the same time that Teddy reappeared dragging a large bag full of several ark's worth of toy animals. The boy was ready to play right away, but when he saw the cookies, he was convinced to wait a couple  
of minutes. Then Harry and Sirius joined Teddy on the floor, where they spent the next hour engrossed in the boy. Finally it was time to leave and Harry hugged Teddy, assuring him that he would return soon. Then, much to Sirius' delight, the young  
boy turned and hugged him as well.

Harry and Sirius apparated back to Grimmauld where they spent an hour relaxing and talking before it was time to head for the Burrow. Ginny gathered James and Harry looked at his wife.

"So Gin, how should we do this? Floo or apparate? I apparated to Andi's to reduce the shock. Should we do the same?"

"Nah Harry, mum's made of stronger stuff than Andi. Let's just floo over like normal."

With that, they made their way to the fireplace and Harry and Ginny went through first with Sirius following. They landed in the Burrow's kitchen and were greeted by Molly as she swept Harry and Ginny into a hug. She was just reaching to take James when  
she spotted the third arrival.

"Sirius! What? No. How? Harry?"

"Hi Molly, yes it's really me. We'll explain as best we can, but yes, I'm home."

Molly shook her head, took her grandson from his father and led them to the large kitchen table. Then Arthur appeared from the garden and stopped in his doorway.

"Come sit Arthur. They're about to explain."

Arthur stumbled forward and took the offered seat next to his wife, but his eyes remained glued on Sirius. Sirius stuck out his hand and said hello, while Arthur remained stunned. Sirius put his hand down and looked at the Weasleys as he began to once  
again tell his Indonesian tale. Twenty minutes later, Arthur had finally recovered and shook his head.

"Wow. I wouldn't believe it if you weren't right in front of me Sirius. I'll be interested to hear what Hermione digs up."

After Sirius finished his tale, talk shifted to updates on all of the Weasley clan, including their five grandchildren, which was Molly's favorite topic. At one point she stood and finished working on dinner with Ginny helping, but kept up with the conversation  
while she did. At a quarter to six two pops from the direction of the garden indicated the arrival of Minerva and Hagrid. Sirius sat back and waited for the next round of confrontations and explanations. Minerva entered first, hugging Ginny and then  
turning to look at everyone around the table. Her eyes settled on Sirius and she trembled.

"Perhaps you should sit down Minerva while I explain. You as well Hagrid. And please don't take my head off quite yet."

Minerva did as Sirius requested and found a seat next to Ginny. Hagrid meanwhile remained in the doorway, grumbling. Sirius then began the third retelling of his tale for day. As he finished with Hermione being called in for identification, Hagrid finally  
let out a sigh and settled into a chair that Arthur had magically reinforced for him. As he finished his tale, Sirius sipped the wine that Arthur had just poured and finished with a final statement.

"The two of you are the last members of the Order that survived. I told Harry that I wanted to tell you in person, as he thinks the news may hit the Prophet tomorrow."

Minerva took a long sip of wine, finishing half the glass, before she looked at Sirius.

"Thank you Sirius. The shock was enough with you in front of me. Given the Prophet's past reporting, I don't know if I would have believed it if I just read it. There are two other Order members still surviving, but they were mostly underground and I  
don't think you met them. I still speak to Elphias and Hestia regularly. I'll have to make sure to write a brief note to them. Now, you said Hermione was coming to dinner? I do hope she has started to find some answers. If anyone can, she will. Especially  
if she gets Kingsley's assistance."

Minerva's words were barely uttered when a pop outside signaled the last arrival for dinner. Hermione knocked briefly and then let herself in the door. Sirius smiled. Apparently Hermione was still considered part of the family despite her breakup with  
Ron. She stepped into the room and gave Molly a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting and taking the glass of wine Arthur offered. She looked quite tired, but then she smiled and the familiar spark that was Hermione returned. She spoke to Harry briefly  
before exchanging a bit of news with Minerva. Finally, Ginny had enough.

"Hermione, we all want to talk and there will be plenty of time to wag, but did you learn anything today? Anything about the arch and Sirius' return?"

Hermione downed the last of her wine and passed the glass to Arthur for a refill before answering her friend.

"Yes Ginny, I've actually found a great deal. More than I would have thought I could manage in a day. I went into the office early and tidied up a few items around my office. I had one other brief meeting this afternoon, but I've spent most of the day  
doing research. I didn't even stop for lunch. I started with the Director of Mysteries and he is still reeling from Sirius' return. I managed to catch him off guard and he initially confirmed that my suspicions on time travel were correct. Then he  
clammed up and wouldn't tell me anything else. The man is as stubborn as a herd of oxen, so I went for desperate measures and sent a patronus straight into Kingsley's office, requesting that he assist as soon as possible. Thankfully he made time and  
joined me in the director's office shortly thereafter. I must say, having the Minister of Magic appear in front of someone's desk is incredibly motivating. Kingsley ordered him to cooperate and assured him that I have his full trust. After that, the  
director told me what he knew. That arch is an ancient Grecian construct that Ministry archaeologists recovered about three hundred years ago. He didn't know much more on its history, but did tell me that seventy years ago there was an accident and  
someone in his department disappeared while attempting to research the arch. After that it was locked away and left where it was when Sirius disappeared. While his information was limited, the director also gave me access to certain portions of the  
Department of Mysteries' archives. I have to say the information buried there looks fascinating, even if the glimpse that I was given was limited."

Hermione sipped her wine and seemed a bit wistful for a minute. Harry smirked, knowing that his friend would dream of the forbidden library she wasn't allowed to explore.

"Anyway, I had to return to my office to review some reports with Graeme and George, which took a couple of hours. Then I went back and began to go through the records that I was authorized to view. Many of the writings are quite ancient and I had to  
use translate spells on them, but I learned a lot. The archway was the culmination of a life's work by an ancient Greek scholar named Euthymios. He had some radically advanced theories on the construction of the universe and the intertwining of space  
and time. While the records don't say specifically, it seems obvious from the details surrounding his life that Euthymios was a wizard. He spent most of his lifetime collecting specific materials for the arch, including meteorites and sky stones.  
Sky stones are rumored to be fallen pieces of planets that have gone missing from our solar system. While the origin of meteorites is well known, sky stones appear to be nothing more than highly unusual rocks with some magnetic properties. Euthymios  
used all of this and some more mundane limestone to construct the arch. The records of that are fairly certain, but after that things get murky. It is assumed that somehow Euthymios enchanted the arch, but the science or magic of how is unknown. What  
is known is that the arch was first mentioned in records sometime around 700 BC. Euthymios attempted several demonstrations using birds and other animals, but was never able to make them reappear, so he was written off by the other scholars of the  
day. The last known record of Euthymios and his arch in ancient Greece was around eleven years after its construction. Then the arch and its creator disappeared. There have been rumors about it through the centuries and three hundred and four years  
ago the Ministry mounted an archaeological dig on the island of Zakynthos. They were looking for some artifacts pertaining to an early rumored wizarding community on the island. Instead, behind a wall in a cave, they found the arch. The exploratory  
team had no idea what it was until one of the team members went into it and never came back. The arch was declared dangerous, magically encased and moved back to the Ministry. Since then there have been several investigations and a total of six people  
who disappeared during those investigations. Interestingly, the investigator who disappeared seventy years ago was a young man named Edwin. Edwin was a little person with a distinct humped back and a missing eye. A month after he disappeared, a coal  
miner in Wales found a man matching Edwin's description encased in a vein of coal. The finding was so unusual, that it made headlines in Muggle newspapers and the Ministry heard about it not long after. Edwin's body was retrieved and buried in his  
family's cemetery and all further investigations into the arch were halted. So, it would appear that the arch has the ability to transport a person through space and time, but no one has found the means to control when and where a person is sent.  
Sirius, you are lucky that you returned where and when you did."

Hermione sat back and finished off her second glass of wine while she let everybody absorb her research.

Harry was the first to reply after Hermione's history lesson. "Wow, I can't believe you did that all today. Of course, you are Hermione."

Hermione smirked at her best friend. "I really wasn't that much. All the history was there once I had the access. A bit of time to filter through it all and a couple translate spells was all it took."

"Well, Hermione, you are one of the best researchers I've ever had the pleasure to teach." Minerva said.

All eyes were on Hermione now and she was beginning to blush when Molly stood up and announced the dinner was ready. The thought of food dispersed the rest of the tentative thoughts in the room as Arthur passed the wine bottle and dishes began to float  
to the table. The rest of the meal was spent in review of any details that anyone felt Sirius had missed. Minerva and Hagrid spent a lot of time going into details about the rebuild of Hogwarts, which had taken a full two years after the battle. When  
they mentioned that all those killed in the battle were buried in a special memorial cemetery on the grounds, Sirius immediately wanted to visit and Minerva agreed to arrange it. Many family members were regularly granted visitation access and Sirius  
was a cousin to Tonks and Remus.

After the discussion on the rebuilding of Hogwarts, Ginny and Hermione gave detailed updates on the few of their friends that Sirius had known, including those who had battled at the Department of Mysteries. Sirius was pleased that Ron had gone into business  
with George and Ginny readily agreed to take him to visit the Hogsmeade shop as soon as possible. Dinner was over and Molly's tray of biscuits was near devoured by the time yawns started and Minerva declared she had to leave. Hagrid followed her while  
Harry and Ginny went to take care of the cleanup while James slept in Molly's arms. Hermione left next with a final hug for everyone.

"Thanks for dinner Molly. Excellent as always. I don't get to eat that well often. Most nights I'm back at the flat late and it's just soup or something simple."

"Well, you're always welcome Hermione. Kingsley works you entirely too hard. I can't imagine the hours you keep and then going back to a dark flat with just Crookshanks. Have you been seeing anyone lately dear?"

Hermione smiled at Molly's usual mothering.

"No Molly, I'm not seeing anyone. Just my job. Relationships have just been too complicated lately."

Molly grimaced as Hermione gave a final wave and stepped out the door to apparate back to her flat. Harry and Ginny finished the cleanup and went to hug her parents before collecting James and leaving with Sirius following behind them.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Adjustments

The next day Sirius woke and went downstairs to find Harry dressed for the office. Quisi was serving breakfast and quickly filled Sirius' plate. As he sat, Harry pushed a newspaper across the table. On the front was an old picture of Sirius from his school days. The article was titled 'Sirius Black Returns from Beyond'. Sirius skimmed it and was surprised that the majority of the details were correct. The article mentioned the possibility of some kind of time travel, but was scarce on details. As Quisi set his breakfast in front of him, Sirius looked up at Harry and Ginny.

"Well, they got the details mainly correct. I'm glad we made the house calls yesterday. That picture is ancient, but at least they didn't use my mug shot."

"So, you're alright with it Sirius?"

"Yes Ginny, I'm fine with the article. It was bound to happen. I've had much worse printed about me."

Harry chuckled. "So Sirius, what are your plans now?"

"Honestly Harry, I haven't thought about it. Eventually I'll need to find a job of course. I never really had a job. I left Hogwarts during the first war and lived off my inheritance while working with the Order. After that I was a prisoner. Then I escaped and became a fugitive. I've never had a chance to think about the normal things of life like a job. I was happily surprised when Hermione first told me all charges were cleared on me. That makes things easier."

"Of course the charges were cleared Sirius. Ron and I both contributed our memories from the Shrieking Shack for review by the Wizengamot investigators. Once they saw the exchange with you, Remus and Peter they were fairly quick to clear everything. Of course, that had to wait until after Voldemort's death. Anyway, no need to rush on getting a job. You've got a place to stay and money. Which reminds me…"

Harry drew a small pouch out of his pocket and settled it in front of Sirius.

"There's around two hundred galleons there Sirius. If you need more, we can withdraw it. This should provide you a bit of 'running around' money as my Aunt Petunia used to say. Now, I'd love to stay, but duty calls. Have a good day."

Harry gave Ginny a long kiss and left to floo to the Ministry. Sirius finished his breakfast while he and Ginny talked. After breakfast, Sirius returned to his room and sat on the bed, contemplating what to do next. After a few minutes, he decided to quit moping and get out. Years earlier he had been forced to stay in Grimmauld Place. Now that he was able to leave, he was determined to exercise his freedom. With no other ideas, Sirius took the floo to the Leaky Cauldron and made his way to Diagon Alley. As soon as he started down the street, Sirius became aware of the stares and whispers. He hadn't considered his celebrity status and found the attention disconcerting.

One of Sirius' first stops was at Ollivander's. His wand had been lost sometime during the battle in the Department of Mysteries. Sirius didn't know if it had gone through the veil with him, but if it had, it hadn't come back out with him. As he stepped into the shop, Sirius saw the familiar man perched on a stool. Garrick Ollivander had been old when Sirius had purchased his first wand years earlier. Now the man looked ancient, except for his eyes. The deep blue eyes still displayed a spark that denied his years. As Sirius crossed over to talk to him, someone else emerged from the back storeroom. She was a petite willowy blond, no more than twenty years old and intensely beautiful. Something about her seemed familiar and Sirius took a moment to place the thought. Then he remembered a picture at the Burrow of Bill and his wife Fleur. The girl was Bill's wife, but what was she doing here? As he pondered, Sirius smiled and said hello to Ollivander and then the girl. Ollivander spoke up with a surprising firmness to his voice.

"Ah, Sirius Black. I had heard of your return. A man who has crossed time and boundaries unknown. You would need a new wand, better suited to the man here before me than the student I first met some thirty years ago. Come, let us investigate. This is my assistant, Gabrielle."

Sirius was puzzled. He could have sworn the woman was the same as he had seen in the pictures at the Burrow. His puzzled expression caused Gabrielle to question him.

"Mr. Black, is there a problem? We will find you a wand. Mr. Ollivander never fails."

"Sorry, it's just, I am a bit confused. I thought you were someone else. My apologies."

"Ah, yes, perhaps you thought I was Fleur? She is my sister. I read in the paper that you were part of the Order of the Phoenix, so you would be friends with the Weasleys. Come, let us find you a wand."

Mr. Ollivander leaned forward on his stool and took Sirius' hands in his own, turning them over and back several times. Then he turned to Gabrielle and whispered briefly. The witch glided out of the main shop and reappeared with three boxes. One by one, Sirius picked them up, but none seemed right. Gabrielle leaned in and whispered to the old man. He nodded enthusiastically and she left to retrieve another wand while Ollivander spoke to Sirius.

"The right wand for you is a bit elusive, but Gabrielle has an idea and she may be right. I have been looking for an apprentice for many years. I had almost given up finding someone with the inherent qualities to understand and craft wands. It was during the last month before the Battle of Hogwarts when I was staying with Bill and Fleur that Fleur mentioned her sister's unique abilities. Once the war was over and Gabrielle had finished her schooling, I met her briefly and knew that I had finally found my apprentice. Beneath the beautiful part-veela exterior, Gabrielle has unique magic. I only hope to last long enough to teach her everything she needs to know. Ah, here she is."

Gabrielle returned and set a single box in front of Sirius. He opened it knew immediately that his wand had found him. Reaching into the box, Sirius took the dark wand gently in his hand. The result was instantaneous. He cast a few simple spells at Ollivander's request and the old man smiled.

"Very well done Gabrielle. Your instincts are true. Mr. Black, this wand is a unique combination and one of the last wands I've created. Twelve and a half inches, ebony and dragon heartstring. Except not just any dragon. I had the rare opportunity to procure hearstrings from a Ukrainian Ironbelly. They are notoriously vicious, even for their kind, especially in defending their kin. They are also quite rare. What you hold in your hand is a wand of uncommon strength. It will require a wizard to match it, which you obviously are. I've had this wand waiting for many years. It's always a pleasure when one of my specials finds its home."

Sirius smiled and gripped the wand tighter. As much as Sirius had loved his first wand, this new wand was something different and it felt completely right for who he now was. He paid for the wand, thanked Ollivander and Gabrielle and stepped back into Diagon Alley.

Sirius made his way to the end of the street and easily found Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, with its garish orange and magenta paint scheme. Sirius proceeded inside and immediately forgot about the stares and whispers. The shop was fantastic. Sirius was tempted by several items, but realized that he had no use for them. As he made his way around, a familiar voice called to him. Turning around, Sirius saw George beckoning to him and crossed over to him.

"Sirius! I heard you were back. Merlin's beard what a surprise! How are you doing?"

"Hi George. I'm fine. A bit intimidated at how many people seem to recognize me. I'm still trying to settle back in."

"Well, you're the first time-traveling wizard I've met. And I've met some strange people. So I can understand why everyone's fascinated. Did you meet anyone interesting during your time travels? Merlin? Godric Gryffindor? Emeric the Unwise?"

Sirius laughed. "No George, afraid I didn't. Or, if I did, I can't remember. Everything is blank. My memory goes from falling into the arch to laying on a beach in Indonesia."

"Hmm, well, I guess there are worse places to end up. Oh, Verity needs me for something, gotta run. Will you be at dinner on Sunday at the Burrow?"

"Well, I haven't been invited. Who's going to be there?"

"All the family, which means you too. Forget the invite. If you don't show, mum would just send one of us to collect you."

"Alright, then yes, I'll see you Sunday."

George waved as he left Sirius and made his way back to attend to customers. The crowd was beginning to wear on Sirius so he left the shop and wandered back down Diagon Alley. More people continued to stop and whisper and Sirius had finally had enough, but before he left he decided to make one more stop, swinging back around to make his way to Gringotts. Once inside, Sirius took the galleons that Harry had given him and changed some for pounds sterling. Then he left the bank and Diagon Alley to wander the streets of London. As he wandered the city, Sirius finally began to settle as no one on the street stopped to whisper or stare. Among Muggles he was just another anonymous stranger, which was quite fine with Sirius.

After a few hours, he made his way back to Grimmauld in the mid-afternoon. Quisi greeted him, but otherwise the house was empty. With nothing else to do, Sirius went to the library to find a book to read and got a bit of a shock. On one of the library walls was a watercolor landscape picture that was very familiar to Sirius. He moved closer to the painting and pleasant memories flooded back. The painting depicted a meadow of lightly swaying flowers with a small creek running under some rustling trees and a group of houses in the distance. The houses were actually the south side of Godric's Hollow and the meadow was outside James' parents' home. Sirius knew the scene well, as he had painted the picture. The thing that surprised him was that the picture hadn't been destroyed. His parents always hated Sirius' painting hobby and when he had returned to the house in exile, Sirius found pieces of his old paintings burned in a fireplace. Not that he was too surprised considering that his mother had scorched him off the family tree. Somehow she must have missed this one picture. After a few minutes, Sirius pulled away from it and went to find the book he had come for.

Ginny was home a couple hours later, pushing James in a pram and carrying several bags of groceries. Sirius helped her unload everything and then settled into a chair with a sleepy James. He was happy to have them back and realized that he really didn't like having the house empty. He wanted to be around people, just not strangers treating him like an attraction at the zoo. Harry came home a while later and before long the small family was settled at the dinner table. As they began to eat, Sirius decided to mention the painting.

"So, I was in the library this afternoon to find a book to read. You've got a nice selection by the way. I'm glad that you cleared out all of the dark mess that my parents used to have. Anyway, I noticed the watercolor you have in there. I was wondering where it came from?"

Harry finished chewing and looked up at his godfather. "Oh, we found that behind a wall in the storeroom. It looked like it had been on a shelf and slid down behind everything. It's quite nice, isn't it? I wish it was signed. I'd like to know who the artist is."

"Oh, well, I can help you there Harry. The artist is sitting across the table from you. I was surprised that one of my paintings survived my mum. She hated them."

"What? I didn't know you painted. And you're good as well."

"Thanks Harry, but it's just something I once dabbled in. It used to help relax me. You probably don't realize, but the scene in the picture was painted from the perspective of your grandparents' garden, looking across the fields to Godric's Hollow. I painted it the summer I ran away from here to move in with the Potters."

Harry was quiet for a moment. He hadn't realized. The painting was beautiful in its own right, but now it had special meaning.

"Sirius, I know you are still adjusting to your return, but you should consider painting again. It's not like you have a lot of pressing concerns demanding your time. Also, will you sign the painting?"

"Sure Harry. And I'll think about your idea. I do indeed have time."

The rest of dinner passed with the conversation mainly centering on Harry's job and some of the work the Aurors were involved with. After dinner they retired to the living room and played a couple of matches of wizard's chess. That evening when Sirius went to bed, he laid awake thinking about the painting, his teenage years at the Potters and the idea of taking up his hobby again. Eventually though, the excellent bed lulled Sirius into a sound sleep.

The next day found Sirius once again escaping into Muggle London. He wandered aimlessly, going the opposite direction as the previous day. Without realizing it, he was soon in the neighborhood surrounding the Ministry. While the people on the street made a point of dressing like Muggles, there were small clues that showed Sirius the truth. He also realized that the stares and whispers had returned. It was almost lunchtime, so Sirius ducked into a small cafe to grab a sandwich. As he read the menu board, a voice behind him called his name. Turning around, Sirius smiled at Hermione.

"Hi Hermione. You look nice. Lunch break?"

"Thanks. And yes, I escaped the office for once. I'm starved."

"Well then, want to have lunch with me? I've just been wandering the London streets by myself. I wouldn't mind some company."

"Hmm, alright Sirius, I guess I will. I honestly was just going to grab something and go back to the office. I suppose I can allow myself a bit of time."

"Yes you can. I haven't been back long, but I think I've already determined that you work too hard."

Hermione shrugged and they made their way to the counter to place their orders. Then they found a table and sat down to wait for the order. Sirius didn't have anything monumental to discuss, so he drew Hermione out and soon she was discussing her work in detail. Sirius found himself intrigued. Hermione had grown into a beautiful and very successful witch. The food arrived and the topic of discussion switched to current events. Sirius had read a couple of cast aside Muggle newspapers so he was able to carry the discussion without feeling like a time traveling out-of-touch fool. Hermione had a firm grasp on Muggle events and the subtle correlations between them and events in the wizarding world. Soon the food was gone and almost an hour had passed with neither of them having realized.

"Oh, look at the time. I'm sorry Sirius, but I have to run. I have a meeting in a half hour and I have to pull together some documents. Thanks for lunch. It was good talking to you."

Hermione rose from the table, leaned over, pecked Sirius on the cheek and disappeared out of the cafe. Sirius stayed there for a few minutes longer, thinking about the young witch and how much he enjoyed her company. 'But she's much too young. And she's Harry's best friend. And you have nothing to offer someone like her.' Sirius thought to himself as he left the table and resumed his wanderings.

The next day Sirius decided that he had seen enough of London for a while and made his way back to Diagon Alley to pick up a few things. Taking Harry's advice, Sirius purchased painting supplies and returned to Grimmauld Place to begin practicing a hobby that he had left behind many years previous. He spent the rest of the day engrossed in his practices and was surprised when Quisi announced that dinner was ready.

The next couple of days continued much the same for Sirius. He spent a great deal of time painting and occasionally went wandering for an hour or two. Evenings at home with Harry and his family were pleasant. Sirius knew that it couldn't last forever. Eventually Harry's family wouldn't want him hanging around all the time. Soon, the week drew to a close and it was time for dinner at the Burrow.

Sirius followed Harry and Ginny through the floo to the Burrow. When he landed, he was immediately assailed by the sights and smells of the Burrow. Molly had four pots simmering, sheets of biscuits cooling and several pans squeezed into the oven. Through the kitchen window, Sirius heard screams and laughter. Then two children ran through the kitchen, each grabbing a biscuit on the way by while their grandmother scolded them half-heartedly. Sirius smiled, it was good to be back with all the Weasleys.

Sirius followed Molly's orders and made his way out to the garden, where Arthur waited with a baby in one arm and a basket of butterbeers in the other. Sirius took the basket and begin to pass out the butterbeers as requested. As soon as he set the basket down, a beautiful dark skinned woman came over carrying a small baby. She was looking over her shoulder shouting at someone else and looked a bit flustered. She turned back around to Sirius and smiled.

"Hi, you must be Sirius. I'm Angie, George's wife. I need to go help George. I think Charlie's got him pinned to the tree. Here…"

With that, Angie deposited the baby in Sirius' arms, turned and began to jog across the garden to her husband. Sirius looked down and the small boy smiled up at him. He had beautiful caramel skin and a shock of curly hair that was an unusual mid-brown-red color. He looked up at Sirius and smiled a brilliant grin that showed off two freshly arrived teeth. Sirius couldn't help himself as he smiled back and began to make faces at the boy. A minute later Arthur appeared and laughed at Sirius.

"Ha! You haven't been here ten minutes and you've already got a babe in arms."

"Indeed Arthur, but can you introduce me to who I'm holding? Angie introduced herself quickly before depositing this delightful fellow, but he can't tell me who he is."

Arthur laughed. "That's Fred you're holding. Beautiful isn't he? The mixture of George and Angie's coloring is quite unique."

Sirius smiled. Fred. That made sense considering he was George's son. Sirius wondered if this boy would be as much trouble as his namesake. Sirius saw a twinkle in his eye that made him think the likelihood was high. As Sirius spoke to Arthur, Molly joined them in the garden and called everyone to dinner. Sirius gave Fred back to his father and made his way to a seat between Harry and Hermione.

Dinner was easy and laid-back as everyone gradually made their way through the many dishes of Molly's excellent cooking. Sirius leaned back and moaned in appreciation at the same time Harry did and several people laughed at their satisfied chorus. Everyone was readily accepting of Sirius' return, although Ron still kept looking down the table at Sirius with a strange look. Sirius hadn't had a chance to talk to Ron directly and made a mental note to do so. As the last rays of twilight dimmed into blackness, Arthur and Charlie waved their wands to light extra lanterns as the final dessert course appeared on the table. Sirius saw the biscuits that he had eyed in the kitchen earlier and reached for one. At the same time Hermione did the same and their fingers touched briefly. That barely glancing touch sent a strange bit of electricity up Sirius' arm. Pulling away, he politely deferred in favor of ladies first. Hermione thanked him while suppressing a small shudder resulting from Sirius' touch. After dessert, couples with small children began slowly leaving, including Harry and Ginny. Sirius opted to stay a while longer and went to talk to Ron and meet his girlfriend, Chrissy.

As Sirius approached, Ron stood up and pulled Chrissy to his side. Sirius held out his hand and accepted the introductions.

"So Ron, I understand you are running a the Wheezes branch in Hogsmeade. Sounds like business is good. I have to say, being gone nearly seven years and coming back to find all of you grown and successful takes a bit of adjustment."

"I'm sure Sirius, but it goes both ways. When Harry sent me the news that you were back, I wasn't sure what to think. If George had sent it to me, I never would have believed it. Since it was Harry, I knew better. Still, part of me is standing here talking to you just fine and another part of me wants to be slapped awake, knowing this must be a dream. You look exactly the same."

"I understand Ron. And from what Hermione's research surmised, I've skipped nearly seven years of aging. Not really the best solution to aging though."

"I suppose not Sirius. So, I know you're settling back in, but you should come visit the shop in Hogsmeade. George said you'd been to Diagon. We've got a small place in Godric's Hollow as well. Jimmy Peakes manages the shop. He's a fellow Gryffindor, several years behind me. Our next expansion is in the works in Dublin. Seamus Finnegan is working on that with us. Also Gryffindor, same year as Harry and me."

"I will definitely have to come visit Ron. Sounds like Wheezes is keeping a good portion of Gryffindors employed."

Ron laughed, then quickly excused himself and Chrissy when he saw his mother looking around the garden for help with cleanup. Sirius snorted at his quick disappearance and turned around to offer Molly his help. Molly assigned him clearing duties and Sirius drew his wand to begin stacking plates and sending them into the kitchen. Once the tables were clear, Sirius entered the Burrow and found Hermione orchestrating the dish washing. As she waved her wand, the dishes made their way through a cycle of rinsing, washing, rinsing and drying. The process was a choreographed ballet of dishes and silverware and Sirius stood back to marvel at Hermione's skill.

Hermione looked over, saw Sirius smiling at her and felt a strange flush. Pushing it down, she raised an eyebrow in question.

"Problem Sirius?"

"Huh? Oh, no, no problem Hermione. Just watching the show. That's some amazing wandwork. I could maybe handle two or three, but anymore and it would be a catastrophe."

"It's really just a matter of practice. Molly is the real master. She taught all of us."

"Well, I'm impressed. You'll have the pile complete in no time at the rate you're going. It's hard to believe how many dishes the Weasleys and extended family can stack up. I really enjoyed this tonight. I can't believe how much the family has grown."

Hermione snorted. "Yes, after the war everyone started to pair off quickly. For a couple of years it seemed like I spent the whole summer going to weddings for all my friends. Then of course the babies started arriving. Minerva said the same thing happened after the first war. Death seems to bring out some kind of primal instinct."

"And yet, the three primary combatants from the war have all waited longer. Of course, Harry and Ginny are well on their way. From what Ginny has said, it sounds like she has it all mapped out for the next five years."

"Well, that's Ginny. Honestly, she and Harry would have started sooner if she hadn't been playing Quidditch. As for Ron…well I have a few ideas there, but let's not even start that."

"And what about you Hermione? You're brilliant, successful, beautiful. I can only imagine dozens of wizards must be lining up."

"Ha! Not quite. Anyway, I have my work."

Hermione finished the last of the dishes and turned to go find Molly, making it clear to Sirius that the subject was closed. Sirius took the cue and went back out to the garden. Everything else had been finished while Sirius was inside, so he said his goodbyes and floo'd back to Grimmauld.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 – Encounters

Sirius spent the next few days alternating between painting and wandering. The days were beginning to drag as Sirius contemplated what he wanted to do. On Thursday a pleasant surprise changed the usual routine at Grimmauld Place. Shortly after Harry arrived home from the office, there was a knock on the door. Sirius was in the hall at the time and went to answer it. He was pleasantly surprised to find Hermione on the doorstep. She was dressed in slim khaki trousers with a simple scoop neck blouse in a moss green. Her hair was slightly unkempt after a long day at the office and her eyes looked tired. Sirius took a moment staring at her and thought that she really needed to lighten her workload. As he kept her waiting, Hermione smiled at him.

"Um, can I come in Sirius?"

Sirius came out of his stupor. "Wha? Oh, yes, please Hermione. Sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

Hermione stepped in and Ginny came down the hall to greet her friend.

"Hermione! This is a welcome surprise. I'm glad you're here, you haven't been by in too long."

"I know Ginny and I really should visit more. This evening I didn't have a choice. My neighborhood is on lockdown. Police are looking for a shooting suspect and think he's in the area. So I figured it was a good excuse."

"Like you need an excuse! Quisi..."

At Ginny's call, the house elf popped in and looked at her mistress.

"Quisi, one more for dinner please."

"Yes mistress."

The house elf popped out and Ginny put an arm around Hermione as she led her friend down the hall to the living room. Sirius followed behind and soon the four of them were ensconced with glasses of wine while they waited for dinner. The conversation swirled around current events and then Ginny inquired about how things were going at the Ministry. Hermione refilled her wine before answering her friend.

"Everything is fine at the Ministry. The usual issues. Centaurs are the most bleeding difficult creatures. Then there are the house elves, who I wish would be a bit more difficult and stand up for themselves. It's a balancing act. I actually have a meeting in Hogsmeade with Lonker, the lead elf for Hogwarts. Just a standard check in. I could send Graeme, but I enjoy meeting with the elves. So, how are things here? How are you adjusting Sirius?"

"Oh, I'm alright Hermione. Just spending time getting familiar with freedom. Nothing exciting."

"Actually Hermione, we discovered Sirius has a hidden talent. Remember the watercolor in the library? He actually painted that. He recently started painting again as well."

"What? I never would have guessed. I'm impressed Sirius. That watercolor is quite nice. I think it's the nicest thing Harry found in the house."

"Well that's not surprising, considering everything else was my parents. The painting was one of the few things of mine that didn't get burned or tossed. I haven't painted in years, but I'm enjoying it again. It's very relaxing, lets me think."

Conversation switched back to other news of the Ministry and then Quisi was calling everyone to dinner. Sirius enjoyed the meal and the time spent with friends. He may have been unsure of his future, but at least he had good friends to support him. As dinner wrapped, Sirius looked over at Hermione and couldn't help but smile. She was finally relaxing and the candlelight flickering on her face made her glow. Sirius' mind began to wander until he chastised himself, 'No Sirius! You don't even have your own shit together'. As Sirius pulled his gaze off Hermione, her voice suddenly called to him.

"Sirius, before I pop back over and see if I can get into my flat, can you show me some of your paintings?"

"Um, well, I've only been working on them for a few days, but alright."

"No worries Sirius. I don't expect Monet. I'm just curious."

Sirius led Hermione out to the garden to the shed that he had claimed as his temporary studio. During the day the single window was well positioned to allow him a good amount of morning sun. He had several small canvas studies that were partially complete. They were mainly practice canvases where Sirius had experimented with color and shape. Then there was a larger canvas that was almost complete and detailed a bunch of marigolds from the garden. Finally, the canvas on his easel was a larger view of the whole garden, including his studio shed. He had spent several afternoons taking his easel out to the garden to work on it and thought it was coming along well. Hermione stopped in front of the easel and stared for a moment.

"Wow Sirius. I'm impressed. Considering how long you were away from painting, you're catching up again quickly."

"Thanks Hermione, but…"

"No! No buts. Just take the compliment. I won't say it's perfect, but you're quite good. I tried painting once, but didn't have the talent for it. I really wanted to be successful, but there are some things that books can't help with."

Hermione turned and looked at his other canvases and her eyes settled on the marigolds.

"Ooh, this one is lovely Sirius. I see you're not quite finished yet. Do you plan on finishing it? I'd buy it if you did. It's the perfect colors for my flat, which is in great need of decorating."

Sirius reached an arm around Hermione and stood the canvas up.

"I'll finish it for you Hermione. And you won't pay me. Call it a gift for a friend."

Hermione turned and found herself mere inches from Sirius as he looked down on her. He backed up as much as the small shed would allow and smiled at her. Hermione's breath caught a bit and she turned away from Sirius as she stepped to the door of the shed. She knew he didn't mean anything by it, but when he smiled like that, she felt like she might melt. They stepped out of the shed and returned to the house. Then Hermione left to check if the lockdown was over. She promised to return if she needed a place to stay for the night. Twenty minutes later, her otter patronus landed in the living room to let Ginny know that she was home and all was well. Sirius retired to bed not long after and tried to drive thoughts of the beautiful witch from his mind.

The next day Sirius decided his first task would be to work on Hermione's picture. He spent most of the morning tweaking small details before deciding that it was as good as he could do and set it aside to dry. He briefly considered what to do next and decided it was time to visit Ron in Hogsmeade. Sirius took a quick shower and then floo'd to the small village. Finding the shop was simple, as it exhibited the same color scheme as the Diagon Alley shop. Sirius entered the shop and was happy to see that it wasn't as packed as Diagon had been. Ron saw him immediately and came over.

"Sirius! Glad you decided to drop by. Let me show you around."

They spent the next half hour moving around the shop while Ron showed Sirius some of his favorite items. Sirius was quite amazed at the level of magic and spellwork that many of the items required. George, Fred and Ron may not have been the highest scoring scholars in the Weasley family, but their brilliance showed in the products they produced. As lunch approached, two of Ron's employees left to take breaks and Ron apologized as he had to go help customers.

"No worries Ron. I appreciate you taking the time for me. The shop is amazing." Sirius said as he waved goodbye and Ron returned to his business.

As Sirius exited the shop, he realized it had started raining and pulled up the collar of his coat. With his stomach rumbling, Sirius began to make his way down to the Three Broomsticks. Halfway there, Sirius spotted a familiar figure crossing the road. He was surprised at first, but then he remembered the conversation the night before about her coming to visit the house elves. Sirius stood for a moment in the rain, berating himself. 'Of course you remembered, why else did you pick today to come to Hogsmeade?' Sirius briefly contemplating apparating away, but then overrode his conscience as he moved down the street to greet the witch.

"Hermione!"

"Hi Sirius. You picked a bad day to visit Hogsmeade."

"Well, it wasn't raining when I arrived. Ron just gave me a tour of the shop. I was getting ready to see if the Broomsticks has any stew ready for lunch."

"Oh, that sounds good. This is perfect stew weather."

"Well then, let's go and get out of the rain before it gets worse."

Hermione stepped to Sirius' side as they rushed the rest of the way down the street and entered the busy pub. They settled at a table and ordered drinks and stew. The stew was thick and hearty with a slab of soda bread on the side. Sirius and Hermione bantered back and forth throughout lunch and Sirius couldn't help but be attracted to her. He had to regularly admonish himself that the young witch was way beyond him. As they scraped the last from their bowls, Hermione grew quiet and looked up at Sirius with a bit of a pained expression.

"What Hermione? Do I have stew on my chin?"

Hermione chuckled. "No. I have a question. I just hope it doesn't come over the wrong way."

"Hermione, we're friends. Just ask."

"Well, I have a bit of a predicament. Several months ago I bought a couple of tickets to the symphony's season opener, which is tomorrow night. At the time I was dating an Auror named Greg. We broke up about six weeks ago and now I have an extra ticket. Harry has to pull a shift tomorrow and Ginny makes a face when I mention the symphony. I was wondering if you wanted to come along? As friends. I don't want to waste the ticket."

"That sounds like fun Hermione. I'd love to come along. As friends."

Hermione smiled and rose from the table. "Well, once again, I have to run. I'll come by Grimmauld at seven tomorrow evening."

"That sounds good Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow."

Sirius left pub and found himself whistling. He apparated back to Grimmauld and continued to mentally chide himself, 'Sirius, stop being so happy. She has an extra ticket. You're going as friends. That's all'. That evening he casually mentioned that he was taking Hermione's extra symphony ticket the following evening. Harry and Ginny both seemed happy with the idea and thought nothing of it as they changed the topic back to the weekend's upcoming match between Puddlemere and Holyhead.

The next evening Sirius finished dinner early and then went upstairs to prepare for the symphony. He groomed and dressed precisely while mentally assuring himself that it was a matter of personal pride and had nothing to do with the witch he was accompanying. He picked a suit of black trousers with a two button coat. He paired it with a metallic red silk shirt with a slightly flared collar that he left unbuttoned at the top, showing just a tiny bit of skin. The look was well dressed, but not stuffy and suited Sirius perfectly. A couple minutes before seven he made his way downstairs just as the doorbell rang. He opened the door and couldn't help it as his jaw dropped just a bit. Hermione was dressed in an asymmetrical red satin dress that started on her left shoulder before drifting down and under her right arm. It hugged her curves just right and ended mid-thigh. She had accessorized with simple silver earrings and a silver drop necklace. Hermione couldn't help but smirk at Sirius' reaction, although she wasn't disappointed herself. Sirius looked casually elegant and more than tempting. Mentally shaking herself, Hermione forced herself to speak.

"Ready to go Sirius?"

"Yes Hermione. And might I say you look beautiful."

They stepped out to the stoop, checked for anyone watching and then apparated to an alley near the symphony hall. Sirius casually took Hermione by the arm as they walked and chatted comfortably before entering and being seated. The show started a few minutes later and Sirius found himself thoroughly enjoying the show. At the interlude, Hermione excused herself briefly while Sirius made his way to the bar. Seeing that they had a good pinot grigio, Sirius purchased a glass for Hermione while purchasing himself a scotch. When Hermione returned, she accepted the glass appreciatively. After her first sip, she gave Sirius a strange look.

"Problem with the wine Hermione?"

"No, the wine is quite excellent. A very good pinot grigio, but how did you know?"

"Well, that's what you were drinking at the Burrow and you asked for it at the Broomsticks, where they don't get many requests for Muggle wine."

"Hmm, well, I guess I hadn't realized you were paying attention. Thank you."

The symphony resumed and the second half was equally as good as the first. Sirius had never been to the Muggle symphony before and found himself planning on a return visit. As they made their way to the lobby, Hermione glanced to her left and saw a middle aged woman who was practically devouring Sirius with her eyes. Hermione reached out to hold Sirius' arm possessively. As she did so, Hermione mentally berated herself, 'What the hell Hermione? You're friends, that's all'. Sirius looked at her and smiled.

Seeing his questioning look, Hermione quickly covered. "Can we get out of these crowds Sirius? It's a bit much."

Sirius smiled one of his heart melting smiles and began to weave through the crowd with gentle but persuasive maneuvering. Soon they reached the outside and Hermione breathed a bit easier.

"Want to walk for a bit Hermione? Get some fresh air now that we escaped the masses?"

Hermione nodded and then she shivered just a bit. Seeing the chill pass through her, Sirius took his coat off and wrapped her in it. As his fingers brushed her shoulders, Hermione had to bite her lip to keep a gasp from escaping her lips. Sirius then put a comforting arm around her and they began to walk down toward the river. Hermione settled and found herself quite comfortable up against Sirius. They talked about the music and the city. Hermione spoke about her parents and their home. She also spoke about her double life whenever she would go to visit them. She walked an uneasy rope between the magical and Muggle worlds. As they talked, Sirius was also surprised at her dry humor with some of the stories she told. Before they realized, they had walked several kilometers across and around the city. Hermione paused and looked around.

"Sirius, you won't believe this, but I have no idea where we are. We've been walking and talking and I completely lost track."

"Well if you don't know, then I certainly don't." Sirius chuckled.

"I guess we should call it a night. No one else is around and we should each be able to apparate from here."

Sirius agreed and turned to say goodnight to Hermione. As he did, he found himself once again inches away from her and before he could stop himself, he leaned in and lightly kissed her. The kiss was barely a brushing, but it sent a surge of electricity through Sirius. He pulled back and turned away.

"Sorry Hermione. We should go home now. Thank you for a great night."

Hermione took a moment to recover before she replied. "Yes, thank you Sirius."

Hermione apparated back to her flat, landing a bit awkwardly as she touched her lips. She stood in her living room for a few minutes, not moving while she tried to clear her head.

As soon as Hermione disappeared, Sirius turned and apparated back to Grimmauld. He headed for the living room, in search of some much needed firewhisky, and found Ginny curled on the couch reading.

"Hi Sirius. How was the symphony?"

"Good Ginny. Much better than I anticipated."

"I see you lost your coat."

"Oh, um, Hermione was cold. I'll get it back later."

Ginny looked at Sirius with a strange smile and returned to reading her book.

o-o-o-o

 _Special thanks for the kind words and reviews. I hope you are enjoying the story._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - Confessions

Sirius spent the following week much the same way that he had the previous. About the only positive he could note was that his painting skills were improving daily. Hermione's marigolds were ready and waiting, but Sirius couldn't make himself call her. He decided to wait until the next time she came to visit. The painting of the garden with the shed was also complete and Ginny had insisted that it hang next to his other painting in the library. The two were similar, but held subtle differences. They were bookends on the span of his current life. On Thursday a bored Sirius found himself wandering near the Ministry once again and his thoughts kept drifting to Hermione. Realizing that he was looking around for her, Sirius berated himself and strode purposefully out of the neighborhood. He returned to Grimmauld and spent the rest of the day moping and reading. Soon a new week dawned and after dinner Sunday night Harry made a request of Sirius.

"Sirius, Ginny and I have a favor to ask. She said that you've been great with James. You really seem to enjoy him and she appreciates being able to go out for brief errands without packing him up. The two of us haven't been out in almost a month and I was wondering if you would watch James on Friday night?"

"Sure Harry, no problem. He's really quite an easy baby. The nappies aren't fun, but I've survived a few so far. I hope you've got something indulgent and fun planned. You both deserve it."

"We're going to a local Muggle restaurant that is having an open mic night with some local bands."

"Sounds like fun. You really have adapted to switching between the magical and Muggle worlds."

"Well, it isn't a stretch for me. I was raised Muggle until Hogwarts. Ginny has taken a bit more to adapt, but she's always been adventuresome."

"Hmm, yes. Hermione and I were discussing something similar. She also walks the line between the worlds, especially with her parents. I must say that I find it intriguing, especially since I've been spending more time out in the main part of London and observing Muggles."

With their date set and a babysitter arranged, Ginny and Harry decided to call it night. Sirius stayed up drinking firewhisky and staring at the fire, lost in his thoughts.

Monday was a depressingly boring day for Sirius. He enjoyed his painting, but after a few hours he needed a break and wandering the city was no longer intriguing. Ginny had noticed his mood and decided to broach the subject over dinner.

"Sirius, you know how happy I am that you are painting again. I do wonder though, you seem to be getting bored. You are certainly welcome around here, but I wonder if you need a change of scenery."

Sirius sighed. "Maybe Ginny, but I think I've seen more of London than any non Muggle born wizard ever has."

"Actually I was thinking of something else. Why don't you head down to Wheezes and talk to George? You don't need money, but he always can use an extra pair of hands. Even if it's just a couple of hours. I think it might be a good change for you."

"Hmm, that's an idea Ginny. It would be hard to get bored at Wheezes."

Ginny laughed, happy that her idea seemed to be well received. Harry said nothing, but smiled and gave her hand a light squeeze. She knew that he had been worrying as well, but had tucked his concern away as he often did.

The next day Sirius did indeed take Ginny's advice. After only a couple hours of painting, he changed and made his way to Diagon Alley. As he approached the shop, he could see it was absolutely packed. Smiling to himself, Sirius gradually pushed his way through the crowd toward the ginger head that topped above most of the crowd.

"George! I just decided to stop by and see how business was. Looks good."

"Oy, yes Sirius. I certainly don't want to complain, but some days it's hard to keep up."

"Well, I've been a bit of a mope around the house and Ginny finally had enough. Said I should come over and see if you have anything to keep a set of idle hands busy?"

George's eyes lit up and he turned to talk to two employees. Then he turned back around and took Sirius by the arm to lead him out of the crowd. They entered the back storeroom and the noise dropped, allowing Sirius to think again.

"Sirius, your timing couldn't be better. We actually do need help. You don't know the stock well enough to work out front yet, but I've got boxes of items to be stocked that I haven't gotten to. Would you mind? I can pay you my standard salary. I've been meaning to hire someone else, but haven't found the time."

"I didn't come looking for pay George. I need a mental break. So, why don't you show me your stocking system and what needs to be done?"

George spent the next half hour with Sirius showing him around before returning back to the main shop. The storeroom was arranged quite logically and Sirius soon had his wand out directing objects around the room and onto their appropriate shelves. About an hour in, a young witch came back looking harried.

"Hi! I'm Verity. George said you're Sirius. I need more bottomless cauldrons. We were supposed to have received the shipment a few days ago."

"Indeed. I saw those a while ago. One moment."

Sirius turned and rounded a row of shelving. He spotted the boxes in question and waved them on out to Verity.

"Excellent! That was fast. Thanks Sirius." Verity said as she darted back out to the shop.

Sirius waved and returned to his task. Twenty minutes later a tiny, middle aged wizard appeared.

"Hi, I'm Tom. We need more Love Potion number 9. I can never find anything back here, but Verity said you could help?"

Sirius nodded, disappeared between the racks and came back with the box Tom needed. The wizard enthusiastically thanked Sirius and ran back out to the shop.

Sirius continued with his task, while every twenty or thirty minutes someone would appear asking for something else. Sirius was able to fulfill all requests except one. Despite an extensive search, the shop was completely out of blackout telescopes. Finally, in the late afternoon George appeared and called a halt.

"Sirius, you can stop now. We just closed the doors. What a day. I have to thank you. It looks like you got through half the pile. Everyone appreciated your help as well. They said you were able to locate what they needed right away."

"Well I would think I should be able to since I'm the one putting it all away. This was actually kind of fun George. I could come back tomorrow and work on what's left."

George looked overjoyed. "Sirius, anytime you start feeling bored, you're always welcome at Wheezes. In the unlikely event that we don't need you here, I'll send you to Ron. For tomorrow though I would appreciate having you back."

Sirius assured George that he would be back at nine the next morning. Then he said his goodbyes to everyone who was still in the shop before exiting and returning to Grimmauld. That evening Harry and Ginny were both pleased with the positive change in Sirius' mood.

The next day Sirius arrived on time at nine and immediately resumed his work in the storeroom. He worked until lunch and had most of the pile done, so he decided to do something for his protesting stomach. Making his way out to the front of the shop, Sirius stopped to talk to George and let him know he would be back after lunch. George waved him off with a smile and Sirius wound his way through the customers and into the fresh breeze of Diagon Alley. Looking around, Sirius decided to visit a nearby sandwich shop and turned to start walking that direction. Before he reached the shop, Sirius heard a squeal that sounded like his name and suddenly a witch with a mass of purple hair engulfed him in a hug. Sirius choked on her perfume and immediately recognized the scent.

"Gina, hello. It's been many years."

"Ooh, Sirius! I read about your return. I was so sad when I heard about your accident and death years ago. So, what have you been up to? Making up for lost times naughty boy?"

Sirius forced a smile as he looked down on the leering witch. Gina had been his last dalliance and she hadn't changed much. Maybe a few soft lines around the eyes. Hair a bit more of a vivid purple. Same cloying perfume that seemed to not leave clothing for days after. The last time he had seen her was about seven years ago. Mundungus had taken pity on Sirius while he was imprisoned at Grimmauld Place with the Order. When everyone else was out, Dung had helped Sirius apparate straight Bea's flat. Bea was one of a crowd of low level thieves, fences and con artists that Dung was part of. She was throwing a birthday party for someone Sirius didn't know. He hadn't cared, just the chance to get out and party with people who didn't care about his fugitive status was welcome. That night he'd met Gina and made good use of the spare room at Bea's. It was the first time Sirius had been with a woman since Azkaban and she had been thrilled with his enthusiasm. Then, two nights before the Department of Mysteries, Sirius had snuck out once again and met Gina at her place. He'd spent the night and barely snuck back into Grimmauld before the Order returned. Now Sirius looked at her and found himself confused. He should have been attracted to her with the way she was pressing herself into him, but instead he was annoyed. She chattered on aimlessly and Sirius found himself thinking back to his witty conversation with Hermione. Sirius shook himself. It really wasn't fair to compare her. Sirius' stomach rumbled a bit and he was ready to separate himself from the witch. He looked at her and gave her one of his most ingratiating smiles.

"Gina, it's great to see you again, but I've only got a couple minutes break. I need to grab a sandwich and get back to the shop."

Gina pouted as she replied. "Fine Sirius. I guess I understand. I'm still in the same flat. Don't be a stranger."

Sirius watched her flounce off and took a deep breath. Her stupid perfume lingered as he made his way to the sandwich shop. He hadn't planned on eating at Wheezes, but decided it would be best to get back. He took his lunch and ate quietly in the storeroom before completing the rest of the stocking. Shortly before four, George came back to look for something and Sirius caught him.

"George, I've just about finished your pile of stock. I should have it done by the end of the day."

"Great Sirius. You made short work of it, but I have bad news. We're expecting another shipment later tonight. Any plans tomorrow?"

Sirius saw the hopeful look in George's eyes and chuckled. "It seems my plans are to help around here some more."

George gave Sirius a good slap on the back before finding what he had come for and returning to the main shop. Sirius returned to his task and in less than an hour had the current stack of stocking complete. As he finished, Sirius looked around and noticed that the storeroom did have a lot of empty shelves and cubbies still. He had been thinking he was doing well, but now Sirius saw just how low on stock the store had been. Resigning himself to another day in the storeroom, Sirius put on his coat and headed back to Grimmauld.

Sirius actually spent a good portion of the rest of the week at Wheezes. George still insisted on paying him something and on Friday gave Sirius a Gringotts check paying him for his time. Seeing no point in arguing, Sirius accepted and hurried back to Grimmauld so that he could babysit for Harry and Ginny. They left before six, right after Ginny had fed James. Sirius took the baby from her and began to burp him as he shooed Harry and Ginny out the door. Soon he had James settled and leaned back on the couch to wait for Quisi to announce that dinner was ready. Sirius was just dozing off with the baby on his chest when the doorbell rang. He didn't move very fast and Quisi got to the door first, with Sirius coming down the hall behind the elf. As the door opened, Sirius caught his breath when he saw it was Hermione. The elf welcomed the familiar visitor in and she looked up and smiled at Sirius.

"Hi Sirius. I know I'm unannounced. Ginny's been telling me to come around more, so I thought I would drop in on you all."

"That's great Hermione. You're welcome any time. Unfortunately, tonight you'll have to settle for me and James. Harry and Ginny are having a date night."

"Oh, um, I didn't realize. I can go then…"

"Nonsense. I'm sure Quisi has enough food for the both of us?"

The elf looked up at Sirius and bobbed her head before popping back out to finish dinner preparations.

"There! It's settled. Come, have some wine while we wait."

Hermione smiled and followed Sirius down the hall. James was almost asleep as Sirius transferred him to a bouncy seat and then turned to pour Hermione a glass of wine. They settled and began talking about the events of the week. Sirius was glad that Hermione didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings toward him after what had happened the night of the symphony. Hermione was just finishing her first glass of wine when Quisi called them to dinner. Sirius picked up James in his seat and followed Hermione to the dining room. Dinner was a simple affair of soup and leftover shepherd's pie. The wine continued to flow and Sirius was finding himself quite relaxed and happy in Hermione's company.

After dinner, Sirius took a fussy James back upstairs for his bath and nappy change. Hermione followed and chatted with Sirius while he cared for the baby. His involvement with the baby meant that Sirius didn't notice the soft, appreciative looks that Hermione gave him as she watched him care for James. Soon James was asleep and Sirius cast the baby sensor spell that Ginny had taught him. If James woke up, Sirius' wand would buzz and let him know. Then he waved the last night light off and he and Hermione made their way back downstairs.

Halfway down, Hermione caught her foot on a step and began to slip. Sirius was right behind her and quickly grabbed her by the waist to keep her from falling. The maneuver brought the two of them against each other and Sirius groaned and let go of Hermione as soon as her feet were settled. They descended the last few steps and suddenly Hermione turned and looked at him. She was just inches from Sirius as he stared into her liquid chocolate eyes and noticed small sparks of copper in them.

"Sirius, we need to talk. We probably should have talked after the symphony, but you ran away and I haven't seen you since. We're both feeling something between us. I think you've probably been doing the same thing I have and trying to ignore it, but that only makes it worse. At least for me."

Hermione paused and looked up at Sirius, obviously waiting for him to reply. Sirius blew out a long breath and ran his hand through his hair.

"Alright Hermione, yes, I admit I am quite attracted to you. And, yes, I have been doing everything I can to hold back."

"Why Sirius? Certainly you can see that I'm no longer the young witch you once knew?"

"Of course I can! That's the problem. Look at you Hermione. You're one of the smartest witches ever, enormously successful and beautiful as well. What can I offer you? I'm twenty years older than you. I've never held a job. I'm completely directionless right now. There are hundreds of wizards better for you."

"Sirius, do you really think any of that matters to me? Don't you know me better? And, as for age, you're only thirteen years older than me, you didn't age during the seven you went missing."

"Right, of course. So, you seem to be busy trying to convince me why all my reasons are wrong. If you've been feeling this too, why haven't you said anything? Were you waiting for me to say something first?"

"Not really. Truthfully, if I've wanted someone before I usually don't have a problem telling them so. But you're different Sirius. You're a pure blood wizard. Older, sophisticated, gorgeous. I know your reputation. You could take your pick of witches. Or Muggles for that matter."

"My reputation Hermione is quite outdated. As for the pure blood bit, you know my feelings on that. So, it seems we've both had our own silly reasons for pulling back. What do you want to do about it? I'll be honest, I'd like to try something wonderfully crazy and take you out for a date. I haven't been on one since the first war."

Hermione smiled. "That sounds good, but first I'd like to try an experiment…"

With that, she leaned up and began to kiss him. Sirius responded immediately and pressed into her. He put his hands around her waist and pulled Hermione in tighter. The kiss was electric, liquid, like everything and nothing he had ever dreamed. His tongue traced Hermione's lower lip and she parted for him. As their tongues touched, the tidal wave surged and they both moaned into each other. Hermione grasped Sirius from behind, squeezing his firm bum while Sirius removed a hand from her waist and began to push up her blouse. Then Hermione gasped and pulled back, smiling.

"Wow. Well that experiment went well. I would definitely say there's something there."

"Well then, I know it's short notice Hermione, but would you let me take you out to dinner tomorrow, say around seven? Your choice."

"Sounds excellent. Maybe we should try one more experiment before I go home though."

Sirius smiled and then captured her lips with his. The kiss was as deep and shocking as the first. Soon they found themselves leaning against a wall as Hermione pressed herself into him. As Sirius made his way up to fondle her breast, the sound of the front door opening brought them back to reality. Sirius stepped back as Hermione pulled herself off the wall. Hermione took a deep breath and straightened her blouse. Sirius meanwhile had collected himself and proceeded down the hall to welcome his friends home.

"Harry, Ginny, you're home! I hope you had a good evening."

"Yes Sirius, the food and music was all quite good. How is James? Everything go okay this evening?"

"James is great, already asleep. The evening went fine, nothing unusual."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – Going Greek

The next day was Saturday and Sirius slept in late, mainly due to the fact that sleep had been elusive the night before. Thoughts kept flying through his head like players on a Quidditch pitch. The main players in his mental game were the memories of kissing Hermione. Sirius had kissed more women than he could remember, including a few Muggles. Hell, he'd even kissed Moony once when they'd both been drunk. James had nearly lost his dinner over that and spent the next month teasing them both about it. Despite his range of experience, something about Hermione was different. Maybe he was just going through kissing withdrawal, but something way back in his brain argued against that. Then other thoughts invaded as opposing team members flew through his mental game. What was he thinking getting involved with her? What would Harry think? Betrayed probably. What would happen if he screwed this up like he usually did anything involving women? All of this flying around was the reason why Sirius didn't appear downstairs until mid-morning, just in time to see Harry and Ginny with James in a pram ready to leave for the park. Sirius mumbled in their direction and waved goodbye as he headed for the kitchen where Quisi made him tea and toast.

An hour later, after food and a shower, Sirius was starting to come to. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and realized that the mirror at the Burrow had been correct a couple weeks before, he was in need of a trim. Deciding to take care of that before he started painting, Sirius headed down the street to where he'd seen a local barber. He'd never gone to a Muggle barber before, but decided the experience would be a good one to add to his recent Muggle studies. The barber's name was Sam and he talked nonstop, mainly about the latest football match. Sirius let him talk, since he knew little about Muggle football. He instructed Sam on what he was looking for and then sat back hesitantly. Sam worked quickly and declared Sirius done within minutes. Sirius checked the mirror and was happy to see that Sam had done exactly as asked and not taken too much off. Sirius had kept his hair long since fourth year and had no plans on changing. Sirius' opinion of Muggle barbers greatly increased and he tipped Sam well before making his way back down the street. Along the way he stopped for fish and chips and found a bench to sit down and eat. Muggles really were quite fascinating to watch. Two taxis and a tiny automobile almost wrecked right in front of his bench and Sirius had to hold back and not cast a few helpful charms on them. Sirius noticed at least two women turn around and look right at him and forced himself not to smile. He finished his lunch and then returned to Grimmauld Place.

Sirius spent most of the afternoon in the garden with his easel. The light in the shed wasn't as good in the afternoon, but the day was nice and he found being outside helped his spirits. Shortly before five Ginny and Harry arrived home and Harry came out to talk with Sirius while he used the last of the dwindling sunlight. Harry came over and appraised what Sirius was working on and smiled.

"That's coming along nicely Sirius. You really have improved in a short amount of time."

"Thanks Harry. I'm glad you and Ginny encouraged me to try it again. I put down my brushes when the first war got going. I'd forgotten how centering it is."

"Well, since you're almost out of light, care to brush up on your chess skills?"

Sirius chuckled at the bad pun. "Sure Harry."

Sirius finished painting and cleaned his brushes while he and Harry talked. Then he followed his godson into the house. Their chess match took a good hour and Harry just managed to checkmate Sirius.

"Wow, good game Sirius. Fancy another round?"

"Sorry pup, I've got plans tonight. I'm going out with…old friends. I already told Quisi to not count me in for dinner."

"No worries. I'm sure you've got a lot of people who want to reconnect."

Sirius went upstairs and began to get ready. Unsure of where they were going, he opted for a slim grey trouser and dark green turtleneck with black brogues. He slipped a Black family ring onto his pinky. The ring was set with a single fine cut emerald. He also wore an old watch that had been his brother's that Harry had found and tucked away. He trimmed his beard, added a tiny bit of potion to slick his hair and a few drops of his favorite scent. Looking in the mirror he looked casual but sophisticated, with a sense of style that he knew hinted at wealth. The look should be sufficient for wherever Hermione had chosen.

At five minutes until seven he stepped outside and waited for Hermione. She popped in on the doorstep a couple minutes later and came down to the street where Sirius waited. Her eyes drank him in as she smiled appreciatively. Sirius meanwhile was enjoying her as well. Hermione wore a cream color pantsuit with a hint of ruffle around the bodice. She accented it with a simple gold choker necklace and gold stud earrings. As she came down the steps, Sirius admired how her tight pants hugged her hips as she moved. Sirius smiled at her and Hermione felt her heart quiver just a bit as she thought 'I wonder if he knows what that smile does? Probably. Merlin, he looks delicious. Smells incredible as well'. Despite what her internal thoughts were saying, Hermione kept herself composed.

"Good evening Sirius. You look like you're ready. Do you fancy Greek tonight? I know a fun place only two Tube stops away."

"You look beautiful Hermione. Greek sounds wonderful. Lead the way."

Sirius offered her his arm and they strolled down the street toward the Tube station. Sirius had only been on the Tube once and warned Hermione that she would have to coach him. Hermione reassured him that it was simple and gave him a brief explanation of what to expect when they arrived. Soon the station appeared and Hermione went first, guiding Sirius. Before long they were on the train, being whisked under London and Sirius had to hold his tongue and not comment about Muggle ingenuity. Minutes later they disembarked and rode the escalator back up to street level. Hermione tried to not smile as Sirius very carefully stepped on and off the moving stairway, watching his feet the entire time. The restaurant was another half a block down the street, although it's lights were visible as soon as they made it to street level. Hermione had a reservation and they were seated immediately in a small alcove that she asked for, to allow a bit of privacy. As they were seated, Sirius noticed Hermione reach into her purse and hold onto something, then he heard her mutter a quick spell. She closed her purse and smiled at him.

"Just a small privacy spell so we can talk and not worry."

Sirius nodded, then inquired about Hermione's parents.

"So Hermione, how was lunch with your parents today?"

"Oh, it went well. Mum and I went shopping after, before I had to return to the office for a meeting. They're thinking about bringing in a partner for their dental practice and gradually working down their hours. They want to semi-retire and have time for travel. Now that I'm grown and settled they don't have anything tying them to England."

"Well that sounds like fun. I've always wanted to travel more. Reg and I used to talk about doing a world trip after he graduated. Of course we were just boys and that was before we went separate directions. You said you had to work today? It's Saturday."

"Yes, just for a while. I had a meeting with the goblins. They chose the time. My hours are quite variable. There's a lot of work to be done, but it's rewarding. We've made great progress in just a few years."

"I understand. It's impressive the changes in the laws with house elves. I know you and I didn't used to agree on the way I treated Kreacher. It's not that I had anything against elves in general, just him. I appreciate the changes, although it's probably a good thing that Harry finally unstuck my mum's picture and destroyed it. I hate to think what she would say about the way they treat Quisi."

"I'm glad you understand. I've always been a bit curious, how did you manage to go so far left of the rest of your family in ideals?"

Sirius took a deep breath and sipped his drink, trying to frame his response. His long pause caused Hermione to wonder if she had gone too far.

"Never mind Sirius, I didn't mean to upset you. You know me, always a bit too curious."

"No, it's fine Hermione. I was just trying to figure out how to explain it. You've never seen what a true pure blood household is like. There are rules and restrictions on everything. Growing up like that is a constant balancing act. Some are born into it without a struggle. That was Reg. I was just never that way. My love of painting is one example. That is a not a noble highborn skill. When I was young I tried to please my parents, but they were never happy with anything, especially each other. You should have seen the arguments. As the big brother, I used to take Reg and hide in the attic when they really went off. Then dad would leave for a few days or weeks, depending on how bad it was. Eventually he'd return and they would just try to ignore each other. I often wondered how they managed to get together enough to produce two sons. By the time I started at Hogwarts I had completely given up on pleasing them. I wanted nothing to do with my family. I think that's how I was sorted into Gryffindor. I was the first Black not in Slytherin since Hogwarts began. Every time I returned home it was horrible. Worse than it ever had been growing up. I was the Gryffindor parasite. I ended up spending as much of my holidays as possible with the Potters. I finally gave up when I was sixteen and moved in with them permanent. My parents didn't object. Anyway, I've gone off the subject. As to your question, I was always different. Once I became Gryffindor I was exposed to new ideas, new ways to be a pure blood and still remain decent. It was eye opening. James was my savior. He was more of a brother than Reg ever was. Reg and I cared for each other, but James and I were two halves of one soul. From the moment we met it was just an immediate connection."

Sirius stopped for a moment and shook his head. "Sorry, I went a bit maudlin there. I haven't talked to anyone about this in years."

Hermione smiled and reached across the table to put her hand on Sirius'. Their eyes met and no words were needed, he knew she understood. No one had taken the time to try to understand him in a very long time. The mood was broken when their waiter arrived with the appetizer tray. Hermione pulled her hand back and Sirius missed the feeling of her small delicate fingers on him. The rest of the dinner conversation moved to less sensitive topics. Hermione went into great detail about all the various aspects of her job and Sirius was boggled at the breadth of her knowledge. When she realized she had spent the last ten minutes discussing work, she desisted.

"Sorry, guess I went off a bit myself. I really love my work, but I know you've probably heard enough."

"No, actually, it's intriguing. I guess I never considered magical creature welfare from that viewpoint. It seems some of my pure blood still can't be broken. You must be the most singularly knowledgeable witch on the subject anywhere in Britain, perhaps the world."

Hermione blushed and then recovered. "Thank you Sirius, but now enough about my work. You've been back a while now. Any thoughts about what you want to do? Not that you have to work, but I know you're not the kind of man who would do well being idle. I remember how well you didn't handle it during the Order days."

Sirius snorted. "Too true. I still don't do well with it. In fact Ginny made a point of it and pushed me to go see George at Wheezes. I spent a week there helping them catch up in the storeroom. It wasn't bad, the items they've created are astonishing. Still, I don't want to be a stock boy for the rest of my life. I love painting, but even that I can only do for a few hours before the garden and shed start to close in on me. I've been thinking about applying at the Ministry. I may have to re-do some of my tests for qualifications, but it shouldn't be an issue."

"Do you really think you'd do well in an office?"

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe. Probably not. I guess I'm still grasping, looking for ideas. That's one of the reasons I'm boggled that you'd be interested in me. You're so together Hermione and I'm anything but."

"Sirius, I've been with a number of very 'together' guys and none of them lasted long. Each one drove me batty actually. I guess a part of me craves a bit of looseness, even if I my job doesn't normally allow it."

"I still say that you work too hard. I know it's not my business, but just an observation. I saw you have assistants, can't you delegate more?"

"I do delegate quite a lot. I'd live at the Ministry if I didn't, but even my three assistants are overworked. I've spoken to Kingsley about it and he's applied to the budget office to expand the department. They actually finalize the new quarterly budget next week."

Sirius raised his glass. "Well here's to hoping the knut counters can squeeze a bit more out their tightwads and give your department some help."

Hermione laughed loudly and raised her glass to meet Sirius'. The rest of evening was spent discussing art and music. Sirius was thrilled to find someone else who enjoyed art as much as he did. James had tried to understand, but never really did. Usually Sirius kept his art books to himself. Now he was finding that he actually wasn't that odd. There were other people interested in the subject and one of them was the lovely witch sitting across the table from him.

As Hermione and Sirius were finishing their meal, the lights in the restaurant changed and a makeshift stage was set up on one side of the restaurant. A Greek folk band made their way to the stage and began playing. The music was uplifting and fun in a completely unique and different way from anything Sirius had heard before. Before long tables began to empty as patrons started dancing around the restaurant. Soon only four people remained sitting, including Hermione and Sirius. Their waiter came over and beckoned them to join in. Sirius laughed and looked over at Hermione. She shrugged her shoulders and took his hand as they got up and joined the dance. Within minutes they were out of breath and having a wonderful time. Then the music changed and tables were pushed back further as people lined up for a traditional dance. Sirius tried to follow the others, although he was fairly certain only a handful of people actually knew what they were doing. Still, it was fun. As he and Hermione twirled through one sequence, he leaned in to talk to her.

"I'm clueless what I'm doing!"

"So am I!"

Sirius laughed and Hermione twirled away from him as they crossed over with another couple before coming back together again. Then the dance ended and another began. They danced for the better part of an hour before finally giving in and collapsing at their table. Sirius waved to the waiter and he returned with more chilled wine for their parched throats. As Sirius sipped his he looked over at Hermione. Her hair had slipped out in several places and was a delightfully carefree mess. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked quite relaxed. Her beauty immediately sobered him and he couldn't help but stare. Hermione looked over, caught him staring and raised an eyebrow.

"Just admiring Hermione. You are truly beautiful."

Sirius took her hand off the table and kissed each finger as he looked at her. Hermione had to set her glass down as her other hand trembled. Once each finger had been kissed, he released her and picked up his wine. They watched the band for a few more minutes before Hermione indicated she'd like to get out of the noise. Sirius called for the check and paid it while Hermione protested.

"Please Hermione, I know you're a modern woman and I know you can afford it, but let me be a bit old fashioned."

"Alright Sirius. Thank you. This really was great fun."

They left the restaurant and wandered down the street. Hermione tried to pay attention as Sirius talked, but he could see that she was tired.

"Hermione, this has been wonderful tonight. I can't believe that I'm lucky enough to draw your attention, but now I can see that you're tired. No, don't protest, it's fine. I understand you've had a busy day. I would like to take you out again. What's your schedule for the next week?"

"Actually, I don't know yet. The week is going to be busy. I'll send you an owl. I am not putting you off Sirius, I had a delightful time. I look forward to more time together."

Sirius bent down and planted what he had intended to be a chaste kiss on her lips, but Hermione had other ideas. As his lips met hers, she teased him, running her tongue along his lower lip. Sirius opened slightly and their tongues met and began to explore each other. Sirius pulled her in close, delighting in the way the soft cream fabric hugged her curves. Hermione placed one hand between them and began to feel the contours of his chest through his shirt. They spent several minutes fully involved in each other before headlights broke their concentration as a car turned down the side street they were on. Stepping back a few inches, Sirius took a minute to recover as he smiled at Hermione. He took her hand as they made their way to a darkened doorway.

"We should be able to apparate safely from here Hermione. I'll be waiting for your owl."

Sirius gave her hand one more squeeze before letting go. She smiled at him and then twisted on the spot, leaving him standing in the lonely doorway. With a sigh, Sirius apparated himself back to Grimmauld Place.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's a bit of a treat. A second posting in one day. Just because. Enjoy. The next chapter is the one a lot of you are waiting for.**

o-o-o-o

Chapter 10 – Opportunities

The first couple days of the new week moved slowly for Sirius. He spent Monday morning painting in the garden but then grew bored. Setting aside the canvas he was working on of a fully detailed bouquet of flowers, Sirius decided to change the scenery. Gathering up his easel and supplies, he made his way to Diagon Alley. He found a quiet corner across from Gringotts and setup his easel. The alley was bustling and Sirius decided to focus on a detail of the shops, before adding people after. The new environment was much more invigorating and several hours passed quickly. A number of people stopped to watch Sirius paint and then moved on. As the afternoon waned, Sirius pulled out his potions and began to mix them with the paints. Then he began to sketch in several shoppers. As he finished, he pulled out his wand and activated the latent properties of his potions. The painting came to life. The bright colored shops seemed more vibrant, but the most eye catching portion of the painting were the shoppers who now flowed in and out of the painting as they moved through their errands. Several owls also flew by. Sirius looked at the painting and thought it was one of his better ones. As he prepared to pack up, a tall, gray-haired wizard stepped over and stood by him, looking at the painting. The man didn't move on as most observers did and Sirius looked at him.

"Can I help you sir?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, hello my good man! I do say, you have quite the skill. Oh, but I have not properly introduced myself. Nathaniel Grandy, proprietor of fine arts and antiques."

Sirius took the man's offered hand and smiled at him.

"Good to meet you Mr. Grandy. I'm Sirius Black, painter."

This was the first time Sirius had introduced himself as a painter and he surprised himself with how easily he confessed it. Mr. Grandy took a moment to collect himself before replying.

"Sirius Black? Really? Now I know why you looked familiar. I read about you in the Prophet. Had no idea you were a painter. I quite like this piece. Do you have others completed?"

"A few Mr. Grandy. It's a skill I've only recently taken up again."

"Well, would you be interested in putting them up for sale? My shop is just a half a block over. I would take the paintings on the standard commission of 20%. Paid out when each painting sells. I will have to see each and ensure they fit the style of my shop, but if this one is any indication, I don't think that will be an issue."

Sirius stood in shock. Someone was interested in his paintings? He'd never thought about selling them. Of course, he hadn't planned on what he was going to do with them. Mr. Grandy stood waiting and staring at him. Sirius finally collected himself and responded.

"Sorry for the delay Mr. Grandy. I'm just in a bit of shock. I'd never thought of selling my work, but if you like it, I'd be willing to try. I can show you my other canvases tomorrow."

"Excellent! Shall we say around ten then?"

Sirius agreed and wished Mr. Grandy a good afternoon before packing up his supplies and returning to Grimmauld. The next day he gathered eight complete canvases and made his way back to Diagon Alley. He followed Mr. Grandy's instructions and located the shop just off a small side street. Grandy's Fine Antiques and Furnishings was an impressive shop with an eclectic mix of merchandise. Sirius pondered the window display for a moment before entering the shop. A young sales wizard was waiting on a customer, but upon checking with Sirius, he paused and called Mr. Grandy out of the back.

"Ah, Mr. Black! Quite punctual I see. Excellent. Now, let's go in the back and see what you've brought."

Sirius followed Mr. Grandy into the back of the store, which was almost as fascinating as the front. The space was a full workshop with several refurbishing projects underway. In one corner was a nice size office dominated by a French style mahogany desk. Mr. Grandy cleared the desk and Sirius laid out the paintings he had brought. Mr. Grandy stepped back and appraised each one.

"Hmm yes, a nice selection Mr. Black. I see you work primarily in watercolors, but it seems you've also brought some acrylics."

"Yes Mr. Grandy. I've recently started to experiment with acrylics for some more modern works. I like the combination better. For my landscapes and street scenes I still prefer watercolors."

"Well, they are all quite well done. I have to say, for what I am looking for here in the shop, I like the softer colors and lines. I don't think the acrylics will work, but I'd like to put the other six on commission. Will that be suitable?"

Sirius couldn't help being a bit disappointed, but figured that he was still doing well to have six paintings on commission.

"Yes Mr. Grandy, that will be fine. Standard 20% commission. No additional fees? Any restrictions for non-sales?"

"No Mr. Black, just the standard 20%. I try to keep my business simple. I was thinking of listing the smaller paintings at 125 galleons and the larger paintings at 190. Does that sound fair?"

Sirius mentally calculated. That would mean his take after commission would be 100-150 galleons. He was a bit shocked that Mr. Grandy expected them to fetch that much, but readily agreed. With that set, Mr. Grandy produced his standard contract for Sirius to review. Sirius read through the contract and it seemed fairly standard. He didn't have any reference, but nothing seemed particularly out of place. He listed the six paintings and then signed the contract. Mr. Grandy shook his hand and then offered for Sirius to stay while the paintings were hung. Sirius stayed for another forty minutes while five of the paintings were hung in settings around the shop. While he looked around, Sirius saw other paintings that were listed for even more than his and wondered if there actually was a possibility that his would sell for the asking price. Mr. Grandy didn't have quite the spot for the last painting, but assured Sirius that one would be found. With everything set, Sirius exited the shop carrying his acrylic paintings.

Sirius still wasn't sure if the paintings would sell so he decided to not mention anything to Harry and Ginny. The following evening after dinner while he and Harry played wizard's chess, Harry brought up the subject instead.

"Sirius, I was on a detail earlier today in Mould-on-Wold and I saw something interesting. There's a new art gallery there. I saw one piece in the window that caught my eye. Of course, I wasn't able to really look, but it got me thinking. Have you thought about trying to sell your paintings? I've wanted to bring it up before, but I honestly wasn't sure how you'd react. Ginny's mentioned it also, but we're really trying to let you settle in."

"Actually Harry, I hadn't given it a lot of thought until a couple of days ago. I was approached by Nathaniel Grandy, proprietor of Grandy's Fine Antiques and Furnishings. He saw me painting in Diagon Alley and took a fancy to what I was working on. I took a few pieces over there yesterday and he's taken my watercolors on commission."

Ginny was across the room reading when she overheard Sirius. She dropped her book and shot up off the couch, crossing the room in a couple of strides.

"What? That's fantastic! When were you going to tell us?"

Sirius looked at Ginny and she looked miffed.

"Easy Ginny. I haven't sold anything yet. I was going to tell you when one of my pieces sold."

"Hmmphf, still. You could have told us. I really am thrilled for you."

Ginny returned to her book and Sirius tried to focus on the chess game. Looking up at Harry, Sirius leaned in to whisper to him.

"Harry, I adore Ginny, but sometimes she scares me. I hope you never upset her."

Harry chuckled. "Don't I know it. She had six brothers to practice on first. Anyway, I'm happy for you Sirius. You really could have told us, we're family, you don't have to keep secrets."

Sirius tried to refocus, but his thoughts kept drifting. 'Sure Harry, and what if I told you I was dating your best friend?' Sirius shook his head, certain that some secrets were best kept for the time being.

The following day was Thursday and Sirius still hadn't received an owl from Hermione. He wondered if she had perhaps reconsidered getting involved with him. Sirius couldn't blame her if she did, still he was feeling anxious and melancholy as he waited. He hadn't been as nervous over a woman since Marlene made him wait a week before she gave him an answer when he asked her to the Yule Ball during their fourth year. By the time he ate lunch, Sirius knew he needed to get out of the house and he decided to head back to Wheezes. He hadn't been by in a week, but George welcomed him happily and Sirius spent several hours keeping his mind and hands busy. When he returned to Grimmauld in the evening, there was still no owl and his mood was definitely sour. Harry could tell something had upset his godfather, but decided to leave him be when Sirius disappeared to the library after dinner and didn't reappear until bedtime.

Sirius slept fitfully and would have remained in bed late if a persistent owl hadn't been tapping on his window. Half asleep, Sirius didn't give any conscious thought to the owl's arrival as he opened the window and untied the parchment the owl had brought. Sitting down on his bed, Sirius opened the parchment and was immediately awake. The note was from Hermione and read: _Sirius, my apologies on the delay. This week has been insane at the office, but I have some good news. I'll probably be here until at least six. I was wondering if you would mind a quiet, home cooked meal at my flat around seven? The owl I sent will wait for your reply. I look forward to seeing you -H._ The bottom of the note included Hermione's address and directions for Muggle travel, including Tube stop. Sirius quickly found a piece of parchment and penned a brief reply accepting her invitation. He tied it to the owl and sent him on his way. With that done, Sirius made his way to the shower, feeling decidedly better than he had the day before.

Sirius spent most the day painting until around six when he went to his room to clean up and dress for the evening. Opting for casual, he pulled on a pair of tight jeans and simple blue button down. Throwing his leather jacket over it, Sirius grabbed Hermione's marigold painting and headed downstairs to say goodbye to Ginny. Harry wasn't home yet and Ginny was busy feeding James. She waved to Sirius without questioning him as he stepped out the door. Since Sirius had never been to Hermione's flat, he decided it was safest to not apparate the first time. That left him with only Muggle travel. Walking to the Tube station, Sirius made one brief stop to pick up a bottle of wine. He then very carefully navigated the muggle machine for purchasing his ticket before finding the train he needed. The ride was longer than the one he and Hermione had taken a week earlier and Sirius let his mind drift. What would Lily have thought to see him traveling casually among muggles? Being muggle born, Lily had been the Marauders' tutor when it came to anything muggle. On more than one occasion she had kept them from completely making a bollocks of themselves among muggles. Sirius thought she'd be quite proud to see him now.

After a twenty minute ride, the train reached the stop that Hermione had indicated in her note. Sirius disembarked and followed the signs to the street level. Hermione's building was a couple blocks further on. Shortly before seven, Sirius arrived and made his way to the second floor. Finding number 212, Sirius knocked and waited a minute before Hermione opened the door. She was dressed in jeans and a simple blouse in a light floral print. She'd let her hair down and it swept around her in a delightful cloud of curls. Her face lit up when she saw Sirius and she took his empty hand, welcoming him into her flat.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Finally

As Sirius entered the flat, he pulled Hermione into a hug. Then he held out the painting and the wine. Hermione's face lit up even more and Sirius bathed in her light.

"Ooh, Sirius, you finished the painting! It's perfect. Oh, that's a very nice wine as well. Come, let me show you where I was thinking of hanging the painting."

Sirius followed Hermione from the foyer into a nice size living room with an attached dining area off the back. The flat was in a beautiful late Victorian building and the details had been well maintained. The large windows were framed in elaborate wood moldings. The ceiling was bordered by crown moldings with additional plaster details around the lights. The light fixtures looked like original hand blown milk glass. The floors were original hardwood with an inlay detail around the edges of the room. Hermione had furnished the room with comfortable, but elegant furniture that had a slight French accent in the finishes. A beautiful Persian rug warmed the floors. The tables were warm cherry, unmatched but coordinating. The cream walls and couches were accented with burgundy and yellow. The flat was sophisticated and must have been expensive given flat prices in London. Hermione stepped behind one of the couches and indicated a spot on an empty wall. Sirius moved to her and held the painting up, maneuvering it higher until Hermione indicated that it was in the right spot. Then she pulled her wand and cast a sticking charm. They both stepped back and Sirius thought it really was perfect for the room. Hermione took his hand, gave him a squeeze and Sirius was happy.

With the painting hung, Sirius followed Hermione through the dining area and into the kitchen. Hermione had several pots going and the smells were delightful. He leaned over to peek into the pots and smiled.

"Smells delicious Hermione. You continue to impress me with your wide range of talents."

"Well, I hope you enjoy. We're having beef bourguignon, au gratin potatoes and asparagus. The wine you brought will be perfect. Everything should be ready in about fifteen."

"Well, let me get the wine ready. Can I do anything to help?"

Hermione shook her head and turned back to the stove. Sirius cast a chilling charm on the wine and then waved his wand to pop the cork. He set the bottle aside to let it breathe and stepped back to admire the view. Hermione was checking her potatoes in the oven and had bent over, giving Sirius a chance to admire her tight jeans and delightful bum. Hermione stood up and turned to look at Sirius. Before he could avert his eyes, she caught him staring. He quickly shuffled and smiled at her. Hermione walked over, stopped right in front of Sirius and whispered in his ear.

"It's fine Sirius. I like to be admired."

Then Hermione walked on past him out of the kitchen to her small dining area. She began to set the table and brought out several candles, which she floated above the table. She sat down and Sirius joined her. Looking at her, Sirius was once again impressed by her beauty, dampened by her tired eyes.

"Looks like you had a long week Hermione."

"Yes, too long. But it will be better soon. I told you I had good news. My department received the budget increase that Kingsley and I have been trying to get for years. We actually did better than expected and I'm completely restructuring the department. Currently the department has all magical creatures classified together, everything from kneazles to goblins. That really is too vast a grouping, but it's the way we've been setup for years. Now we're restructuring into two sub-departments. First, we'll have the Department of Standard Sentience Magical Creature Relations. Second will be the Department of Secondary Magical Creature Relations. The first group will work with creatures like the centaurs, goblins and elves. That is, creatures who think, reason and can communicate on a standard level with the Ministry. The second group will cover everything from kneazles to unicorns. Unicorns and thestrals of course are sentient, but not at the same level and cannot communicate through normal language. The first group will have less creatures to cover, but with more work involved. The second group will have quite a few creatures, but less to do with many of of the creatures, beyond uncontrolled breeding regulations and trade restrictions. The best part is that I'll have a manager for each department reporting directly to me. I'll still be involved with final policy approvals and major negotiations, but I'll be able to delegate more of the daily work. It's the culmination of a lot of hard work and I'll have a couple more weeks getting everything in place, but then life should settle down."

Sirius sat back and shook his head while smiling at Hermione. He reached across the table and took her hand.

"You continue to amaze me Hermione. You're a revolutionary force in the Ministry. The changes sound fantastic, and I know it's a major change in thinking for a lot of wizards and witches. I'm glad for your sake that you'll be able slow down a bit."

"Well, it helps that Kingsley has been completely supportive from the first day I took my position. He's been driving the new ideas all the way from the top. Oh! I need to go check on dinner. We should be about ready."

Hermione popped up and Sirius missed having her hand in his. He followed her to the kitchen and took the glasses she had set out. He poured the wine and took the glasses and bottle to the table. When he asked, Hermione assured him that everything was under control, so Sirius went to sit down and wait. A few minutes later Hermione appeared with two delicious plates of food. She sat down to eat and Sirius began asking more about the individual creature relations that Hermione worked with. She went into great detail and Sirius enjoyed listening to her. She was passionate about her subject and when she spoke a fire lit in her that was gorgeous to see. Sirius finished his first plate of food and allowed Hermione to refill it. She seemed pleased that he enjoyed her cooking. As he worked on his second plate and Hermione refilled their wine, she looked over at him and smiled.

"Alright Sirius, you've been wonderful listening to me ramble. Now, what have you been up to in the last week?"

"Hermione, first you should know that I enjoyed every minute of our discussion. You have a real passion for your work. As for me, it's been a good week. Not as exciting as yours, but still good. I was down in Diagon Alley one day painting on the street when I was approached by a local shop owner. His name is Nathaniel Grandy and he liked my work enough to take six of my pieces on commission. I don't know if any have sold yet, but it's still exciting to think that someone outside my family and friends may be interested in my work."

"Sirius, that's wonderful! Here I am talking away and you just listen to me and don't say anything. I have no doubt the paintings will sell. Ooh, I'm so excited for you. So, once you see your paintings start selling, do you think you'll want to be a full time professional painter?"

"I don't know Hermione. I still get restless during the day. I'll see what happens with Grandy's."

The conversation continued for another twenty minutes, covering a range of topics. Sirius was amazed at how easy Hermione was to talk to. They really could talk about anything. They didn't agree on everything, but Sirius still found the discussion lively. Hermione seemed to enlighten everything. As they finished dinner, Hermione waved her wand and swept the dishes into the kitchen.

"Come Sirius, I want to show you something."

Sirius took her hand and followed her into the living room. Twilight was completely done and the city had descended into darkness, leaving a spectacular view of the city lights from the picture window in the room. The window had a large seat under it and Hermione sat down, pulling Sirius down next to her. They sat for minutes, sipping wine and looking at the city lights without needing to say a word. Sirius pulled Hermione in next to him and was happy when she cuddled into his side. Well fed, mildly relaxed by the wine and with a beautiful woman curled up next to him, Sirius sighed with content. Hermione looked up at him and Sirius thought he could drown in the chocolate pools of her eyes. Without hesitation, he bent his head and kissed her deeply. Hermione responded as she pulled herself tighter into him. Soon their tongues began to dance and Hermione let out a low moan. Hermione's hand had drifted under his shirt and her fingers began to trace lines on his chest. Then Hermione pulled herself around to sit on his lap and began to unbutton his shirt. Sirius pulled her back into him and started nibbling on her neck before pausing to whisper to her.

"Hermione, how far do you want to take this? I don't want to push things too quick. You're too special for me to risk hurting you."

Hermione responded by putting one finger on his mouth to quiet him. Then she stood up and took Sirius by the hand. He followed her to the hall and into another room. She turned on one lamp and Sirius realized they were in her bedroom. He looked at Hermione and saw the need in her eyes granting him the permission he so desired. He pulled her back into him and began to devour her mouth once more. Minutes later they broke apart and Hermione finished removing his shirt. Her hands caressed his chest before her mouth began to trace the lines of his muscles and the details of his tattoos. Sirius groaned and began to lift her blouse. Hermione pulled her head up and let her blouse come off. Sirius drank her in, noticing the scars on her body. He traced each one with his lips, wishing to remove any memories of the pain that had been inflicted on her. Then he began to explore her lace clad breasts. As he fondled her, Hermione leaned up and began to trace kisses along his jaw. Sirius reached around and quickly unhooked her bra, allowing him full access to her beautiful breasts. He bent his head and began to lavish kisses on them before lightly licking one nipple. Hermione gasped and reached to undo his belt. As he suckled her, Sirius let his hands drift down to massage her bum. Hermione finished with the belt and then quickly unzipped and dropped his jeans. He kicked off his shoes and then lost the jeans completely. Hermione pressed into him, feeling his arousal while she ran her hands down his thighs. Then she looked in his eyes and smiled as she yanked his trunks off. Sirius hissed as his raging erection was freed. Hermione came back up and began to explore his chest again while her hand reached down and began to work him. Between her tongue and her hand Sirius was about to come undone. He caught his breath and mumbled in her ear.

"Hermione, everything you're doing is amazing, but I'm going to go early if you don't stop."

"Don't worry darling, I understand. This first time is for you. Then you'll be able to last longer for me later."

Sirius groaned as he realized that this was a witch who was well experienced in more than just creature relations, diplomacy and French cooking. He put his head back and decided to enjoy her handiwork. Minutes later he growled as his whole body jerked and he shot a load of cum onto Hermione's stomach. As he climaxed, she took hold of his mouth once more and let him finish gasping into her mouth. Once he was able to think again, Sirius pulled back and quickly finished pulling off her jeans. He was pleased to find a matching pair of lacy knickers, which he began to rub. Hermione began grinding into his hand while grasping at his shoulders and muttering small grunts in his ear. She was dripping and Sirius could feel her need as he disposed of the knickers. He crossed the room and pushed her down on the edge of the bed. Then he leaned over and kissed her mouth before moving to her ear, then her neck, down to her chest and then to her stomach. He was determined to give her a wonderful night and was taking his time to work her up when he felt her fingers in his hair as she growled at him.

"Please Sirius! I need you. I haven't had sex in months. Please just fuck me already."

The begging and dirty language made Sirius twitch, but he was determined to continue at his own pace. He continued to kiss down her stomach before he finally reached into her folds with his tongue. He licked her from her sex to her clit and back before settling on her clit and beginning to swirl his tongue around it. Hermione was panting and thrusting into his face. Then he took the small bud and sucked on it. That finally sent Hermione over the edge as she grabbed at his head and came with a scream. Her whole body shook as he kept licking her through her climax, extending it as she kept jerking against him. Finally her fluids stopped dripping and he raised himself up to look down on her. She was beautiful and looked completely relaxed, flush and glowing. He lifted her up and moved her all the way onto the bed before lying down next to her. They kissed lazily, hands tracing lines across each other's chests. Soon Sirius' partial erection was back at full attention and Hermione smiled as he twitched against her. She kissed him one more time before looking in his eyes and giving him a brief nod that was all the permission he needed. He raised up to position himself and then stopped, looking around for his wand. Realizing what he was looking for, Hermione pulled his head down.

"Taken care of Sirius. Please, I need you in me now."

Sirius smiled and lowered himself, entering her in one slow, constant motion. The feeling as Sirius sank into Hermione was exquisite. She fit him like they had been made for each other. Her tightness was perfect and she took him full in with no problem. She groaned as he sheathed himself completely, almost cumming just from the perfect way he filled her. Sirius bent his head and kissed her breasts as he began lightly thrusting, working up a rhythm. Hermione grabbed his hips and joined his movements, meeting each thrust as Sirius increased his speed when she demanded. Sirius watched as Hermione closed in on her climax and the look was exquisite. Then he pushed in one more long stroke and she came undone, head thrown back screaming his name while inside she clamped down, calling for his seed to fill her. Sirius continued with several slow strokes, feeling every muscle inside her and willing each one to bring her pleasure. He bent his head and kissed a freckle on her stomach. He wanted to learn every nuance of her body, every freckle and dimple. He had been with so many women before her, but he now finally knew what it was make love with a woman. He wanted to fulfill her in every way possible, using his body as the tool. When she began to cum again, the feeling of her muscles and the look of love in her eyes finally pushed him off the cliff as he filled her completely, sending stream after stream into the body of his beloved.

Sirius woke with the first rays of morning light coming in through the curtain. He was on his side with Hermione facing him. She had her legs between his and her chest pressed against him. Her hair was a beautiful, crazy mess and her mouth curved up in a slight smile. She looked wonderfully relaxed and Sirius thought that he would be happy to not move all day, except that his bladder had other ideas that couldn't be denied for long. He was loathe to disturb her as he slowly removed himself limb by limb from her embrace. He made his way to the bathroom and took care of himself as his mind went back to the night before. He had never planned on their relationship moving this fast, but now he knew there was no going back. James had once told his brother that when he found the right one he would know and his wanderlust would be gone. Sirius had been a carefree twenty and had laughed at the thought. That evening he bedded two women together just to prove James wrong. Now his brother was gone, but he was finally proven right. Sirius finished in the bathroom and returned to the bed. He was going to climb in, but then he found himself staring down on the beauty that was his. Hermione sensed his presence and opened her eyes a crack.

"Morning beautiful."

"Mmm...morning. What time is it?"

"Don't know, too early, but I had to pee. I was just coming back to bed, but your beauty distracted me."

"Well come back to bed then."

Hermione rolled over and patted the bed next to her. Sirius climbed in and snuggled against her. He kissed the tip of her nose and was thinking about going back to sleep when Hermione lazily began kissing him. They continued kissing in a sleepy, dreamy way and soon his half-awake cock was denying his sleepy state. Hermione reached down and felt him and sighed happily. Sirius put a finger into her folds to explore her and see just how sleepy she was. When his finger slid inside he found she was plenty wet and removed his finger as he pulled Hermione closer and slowly drove into her. She sighed and they moved against each other with slow strokes that allowed for lots of kisses as they explored each other. Many minutes later, Hermione's kisses slowed as she began to moan and then fluttered to a long, slow climax. Her muscles milked him for what seemed to be an eternity before he snapped and released himself into her. Her eyes were already closing and, as he finished his release, he joined her in slumber.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 – Confessions

Several hours later Sirius woke and felt much more awake than he had previously. Hermione was still sleeping soundly next to him and he felt positively giddy waking up next to her. On the few occasions when he had actually spent the entire night with a woman he had always made an early exit before there was any chance of one of them laying a claim to him. Now he found himself completely willing to remain in bed all day and let Hermione lay complete claim to his body and soul. 'So much for not getting involved Sirius' he said to himself. Now he was more than involved. 'If only James could see me now. He'd probably have some witty comment about it taking long enough. And what would Lily think of him getting involved with their son's best friend?' Sirius set aside personal thoughts of friends long gone and decided to focus on the present. His stomach had started to rumble and his brain was mentioning that Hermione would probably be hungry as well when she woke up.

Sirius carefully climbed out of bed and started searching for his trunks. He found them hanging off the corner of the dresser and pulled them on. He made a quick stop in the bathroom before making his way to the kitchen. His first task was to clean up the dinner dishes. They'd gotten too distracted and completely forgotten about the mess they left behind. The kitchen wasn't tiny, but it was small enough that within minutes he was familiar with the layout. Once the cleaning was done, he set about determining what was available for breakfast. He found Hermione was well stocked and immediately started mixing up a batch of scones. Once those were in the oven, he started the teapot and then set some bacon crisping on low. He was just starting to slice some tomatoes when he felt arms wrap his waist. Smiling, he turned to greet his lover with a deep kiss.

"Morning love. I was hoping to get you breakfast in bed, but looks like I'm late."

"How could I sleep with the smells coming out of here? Do I smell scones?"

"Yes indeed. Why don't you go sit and I'll bring you tea."

Hermione yawned and gave him one more peck before settling on a kitchen stool. Sirius fixed her tea and took it to her before turning back to his cooking.

"You're full of surprises Sirius. I had no idea you cooked."

"Well, I can do a few things. Nothing fantastic and French like last night, but I manage the basics. Harry's grandmum taught me when I stayed with them."

"Does Harry know? Those are the kind of stories he needs to hear."

"No, I don't think I've told him. There are probably a lot of things I need to tell him. I've been thinking about James and Lily a lot lately."

"Really? What about them?"

"Oh little things. Like how Lily would love to see me riding the Tube. She used to be our Muggle studies instructor outside of school. Then, when I hold little James, I think about his grandfather and wish James was the one holding him instead."

Sirius grew quiet as he pulled the scones out of the oven. After a couple minutes letting him think, Hermione came back over and hugged him, laying her head between his shoulders. Sirius turned around and held her, drinking in her warmth. They said nothing until the bacon started to sizzle and Sirius had to quickly grab the pan to keep it from burning. He began to dish the food and they retreated to the dining area for brunch. After a couple of bites, Hermione looked up.

"This is excellent Sirius. Your scones are amazing. So, now that it's almost eleven, what do you plan on doing with the rest of your day?"

Sirius looked at Hermione. She was holding a piece of scone in one hand while delicately sweeping crumbs off her lip with two fingers of her other hand. She caught him staring and smirked at him and Sirius knew that now was the time to do something he had never done before.

"Hermione, I need to talk to you. About last night, us, this…"

Hermione set down her scone and a look of concern crossed her face. Sirius realized what she was thinking and reached out to grab her hand in reassurance.

"Hermione, last night was amazing, but more than that you're amazing. Even before we made love I was falling for you. I think from the minute you collected me at the Ministry. I was in awe of you, of the woman you've become. I still am in awe of you. I tried to deny what I was feeling, but when I kissed you after the symphony I was done for. I didn't admit it to myself, but I was. I tried to convince myself to not get involved, you were too good for me. Well, you still are, but I'm involved now and more than that. I need to tell you something I've never told anyone. Hermione, I love you. I love your brilliance, your sense of justice, your fierce loyalty, your quirky humor, your love of art, your crazy hair, and your divine body that makes me want to stay here all day and pleasure you. I know I don't seem trustworthy. I know my reputation, but that's done. James always said it would happen some day and I told him he was crazy. I think I need to go to Godric's Hollow and pay up on an old bet. Stupid bloke always did get the last laugh. I don't know how you feel, but I don't want you to think that you are just another passing fancy. You're too good for that."

Hermione's eyes brimmed with tears, unable to say anything. Holding onto Sirius' hand she moved around the table. She took his face in both hands and kissed him soundly. Then she pulled back and smiled as she declared herself.

"Sirius Black. I love you. I never expected to have this, but I'm happy."

He kissed her once again and then her stomach rumbled, causing them both to laugh.

"And did I mention that I love your scones?"

Hermione went back to her seat and they resumed eating, staring at each other with silly grins. Sirius felt like a teenager again, maybe fourteen before his conquests jaded him. He couldn't believe what she'd done to him.

"So Sirius, what now? I won't be able to be near you at Grimmauld or the Burrow without someone seeing what's going on."

"You know what Hermione? I was worried that Harry would feel betrayed. Honestly, I'm still a bit worried, but I think he'll adjust. I don't want to hide us. This is not some dirty secret. As for the Burrow, I guess we'll have to face that. Molly worries me more than anyone. I noticed you're basically her second daughter."

"Yes, the Weasleys adopted me unofficially years ago. I think of them as my magic parents. I think Molly won't mind as much as you think. I've taken a couple boyfriends to the Burrow, one who Molly almost hexed. Although, looking back, I see she was right about him. I've had some horrid tastes. Then there was the time she dropped by here and bumped into Kingsley as he was leaving one morning. I don't think I've seen her that upset since the war. That one I don't really know what her problem was. Kingsley's a good man. I think it's just the issue with him being the Minister of Magic and my boss. Upset her sensibilities. No, I think she'll accept us without too much trouble."

Sirius was a bit stunned by her admission. He knew of course that she had plenty of experience. She'd shown that last night. Still, sleeping with the Minister of Magic was a whole other level.

"Kingsley huh? I have to admit that surprises me a bit. How long were you two together? Not that I'm upset, just curious. Of course I realize you've been with a number of men. I am hardly one to complain. I just feel lucky that you're with me now."

"Kingsley and I were just an occasional thing. We went out to a couple Muggle restaurants, but we had to be careful. Mainly he would come here and I would cook and we'd fuck for a few hours before he had to leave. It was convenient. We decided it was starting to interfere with work and stopped. We both knew there wasn't anything more to it. That's been the way with most of my relationships. Ron and Lee are the only two serious relationships I've been in. After Lee I was just too involved with work to spend the time. That's why I'm glad that the department is splitting out. I love my work, but I've reached a point where I want more. And then you appear and turn my world inside out."

Sirius smiled and leaned over to kiss scone crumbs off her lip. Once they finished their brunch, Hermione stood and took his hand. He followed her back to the bedroom where they immediately began devouring each other. Hermione became very aggressive as she pulled his trunks off as they kept groping, kissing and moving toward the bed. When they reached the bed, Hermione pushed Sirius back on the bed. He scooted a little bit and found himself being quickly straddled. Then Hermione grinned naughtily as she lowered herself onto him. Sirius watched himself disappear into her and the sight made him throb. Hermione began a slow rocking, adjusting her angle until she found the right position and began to ride Sirius hard. Sirius growled and marveled at her skill. Then he reached up and began to fondle her bouncing tits while rocking his hips in sequence with her. Within minutes Hermione came powerfully as she screamed and Sirius joined her. She remained clamped on him for several minutes before she finished cumming and released him as she rolled off and lay next to him.

"Fuck Hermione. Nothing docile about you. Bloody hell."

"I'm glad you don't scare easy. Can you believe one guy I dated actually went limp when I tackled him? Couldn't get it up again for the rest of the night."

"Pussy" Sirius growled.

Hermione laughed, rolling over to kiss him. As he reached to pull her closer, she jumped off the bed and beckoned to him.

"Come Sirius. I've got a walk in shower. One of the reasons I picked this flat."

Sirius grinned and bounded after her. They spent the next half hour exploring new angles when Hermione used her wand to levitate herself. After a while they eventually got clean and Sirius went to locate his clothing. After quick anti-wrinkle and refresh charms, they didn't look bad. Hermione was still getting ready, so Sirius left to clean the kitchen. As he finished, Hermione appeared wearing a pair of tight black jeans, a low v-cut black and red blouse and black boots.

"Bloody hell Hermione. I thought you said you wanted to get out of the flat sometime today. How do you expect me to not attack you when you wear that?"

"Control yourself big boy. Good things come to those who wait. Now, let's get out of here. I saw a flyer about a street fair a few blocks from here. It sounds like fun."

Sirius sighed and tried to get himself under control as he took her hand and left the flat. They walked a few blocks in the general direction where Hermione thought the fair should be and soon heard the sounds that directed them further. The fair hosted a plethora of street vendors, artists and busking musicians. Hermione and Sirius wandered throughout, stopping occasionally if a musician was particularly good. The day had a bit of a chill and Sirius found them large, cream topped cups of hot chocolate. Then he enjoyed kissing the cream off her lips, causing a few whistles from the crowd. Sirius had worried when he saw all the young people that he would look like an old man out among youngsters, but instead he noticed several of the younger female crowd paying close attention to him. Hermione also noticed and made a point of putting her arm around him and sliding her hand in his back pocket possessively. As they reached the end of the fair, Hermione turned and looked at Sirius as he pulled her into a hug.

"Sirius, I was supposed to go into the office and work on paperwork this afternoon, but I've decided it will wait until Monday. Please stay with me for the weekend."

"Of course. How can I deny a lady? Although, I think I should pop over to Grimmauld for some clean clothes."

"Alright, but don't take too long."

They ducked down an alley and Hermione apparated to her flat before Sirius apparated to Grimmauld. When he arrived, he was glad that Harry and Ginny were out. He wasn't ready for explanations quite yet. He did inform Quisi that he would be out until Monday morning. Then he collected a few things and popped back to Hermione's flat. They spent the evening alternating between loving, long conversations in bed and brief snacks as needed. Sirius hadn't shagged so much in a single night since he was a teenager and surprised himself with his stamina.

On Sunday they made it out by ten in the morning. The day was rainy, perfect to visit a museum. They spent most of the day at the National Gallery. Hermione had been several times, but it was a first for Sirius. The place was too big for a single day, but they made a good attempt. After they left the gallery, they found a nearby pub that neither was familiar with. They were pleasantly surprised with the excellent stew that was a specialty of the owner and ordered two large bowls with slabs of bread. Hermione stuck with wine, while Sirius downed a couple of pints. They had a small, cozy booth toward the back and stayed huddled together, talking long after their food was finished. Eventually Sirius grew restless and started kissing Hermione. She responded by feeling him up under the table and he quickly paid the bill before hustling her back to the flat.

Monday morning arrived too soon and Sirius was awakened by an alarm when the sun had barely started to peek through the drapes. He groaned and reached for Hermione, only to find an empty bed. She was standing to the side and smiled down on him.

"Sirius love, I have to get to work. You can stay as long as you want, but I need to shower and get out of here. This week is going to be crazy, but then it will get better. Like we discussed, I'll come by Grimmauld for dinner and we'll talk to Harry and Ginny. I'll owl you when I know what day."

Sirius sat up and pulled her in for a brief kiss. Then he released her, knowing she had to go. She turned to go to the shower and he fell back to sleep. A half hour later Hermione was ready to leave. She stepped over to the bed and planted a kiss on his cheek before reluctantly leaving the flat. A couple hours later Sirius woke and took a shower. Then he decided to change the bed. Even with a few spells, it was looking decidedly worn after a their long weekend. With the flat straightened up, he gathered his things and apparated back to Grimmauld.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – Confrontation

Sirius spent the rest of Monday painting in the garden, where he had set up a table with a model ship. Using the ship as reference, he worked on a complex storm scene, complete with crashing waves. Quisi thoughtfully set a tray of sandwiches and pumpkin juice nearby so that he could nibble as he worked. As the sky darkened, he was forced to end his painting and return to the house where he continued a book he had been working on. Harry arrived home a while later and settled in the library while Quisi brought them beers. Seeing the stress on Harry's face, Sirius tucked his book away.

"Long day Harry?"

"Very. There are a lot of aspects of being an Auror that are never advertised. Today I spent nearly two hours finalizing a surveillance report on one case. Then I had to meet with a Ministry barrister for coaching on a second case before appearing in front of the Wizengamot to testify on a third. I think I've used up my speech for a week."

Sirius chuckled. "I guess I never thought about all the job entails. It's not all adventure and excitement."

"No, actually very little of it is. Still, I do enjoy it most of the time. I know I'm making a difference in the world for my son."

"You've done well Harry. You're successful, have a beautiful family and you're not yet 23. I'm nearly twice your age, well maybe not if you subtract the seven years I was in the veil, but still I don't have myself near as figured out as you. I am starting to think that painting may work out. At least if anyone buys my work. Which reminds me, I should check in with Mr. Grandy."

"Now you just need to find yourself a good woman Sirius."

Sirius held his tongue while he downed the rest of his beer and thought of Hermione.

The next day Sirius deferred painting and made his way to Diagon Alley early. His first stop was to pick up some potion supplies for his paintings and then he headed to Grandy's. Entering the shop, Mr. Grandy came to greet him immediately.

"Sirius! I'm glad you dropped by. I was going to owl you soon if you didn't. I have a check for you."

"A check? You mean one of my paintings sold?"

"Three in fact. Two went to one customer who is especially a fan. I have someone else interested in a fourth, they're thinking on it. I must say, I thought they would do well but not this quick. I hope you're working on new pieces for me."

"Well, it's only been a week. I've finished one and have another in progress."

"I understand! Can't rush creativity. Feel free to bring them by whenever. Also, I've been thinking about your acrylics. I originally didn't think they fit the store, but now I wonder if I should just hang them up here in the front and not place them in a setting. We can see what happens. It would let me expand my focus a bit."

"Sure Mr. Grandy. Why don't I come by on Monday after I've got a couple pieces done and bring the acrylics as well?"

"Very good Sirius! Now, here is your check."

Sirius took the check for 404 galleons and shook his head, unable to quite comprehend that he was now an acknowledged, professional fine arts painter. He thanked Mr. Grandy and left the shop. Sirius walked back down Diagon Alley in a bit of a daze. He wanted to celebrate, but he knew that he wanted Hermione with him when he did. As he walked by Eeylops, he turned around and went into the nearby owl post. He drafted a quick note to Hermione that read: _Hermione love, I have great news. Want to celebrate when you are available. Dinner at Grimmauld? Let me know when. Will wait to celebrate until you are free. All my love, S_. Sirius hired an owl, tied the parchment to it and sent it on to the Ministry. With that done, Sirius made his way back to Grimmauld.

Sirius spent the rest of the day working on his ship in a storm painting and was pleased with the progress. The seas rolled and the ship tossed as streaks of lightning appeared in the sky. There were still a few details that Sirius wanted to finish, but he needed to work it in layers. As he stepped back to admire his work, Sirius couldn't help but think back to his trip to the National Gallery. They had a truly spectacular range of paintings, but of course none of them moved. As much as Sirius admired the work, he still found it hard to attach emotion to static paintings. As Sirius stood contemplating the differences between magical and muggle art, an owl swooped down into the garden. Sirius removed the note it carried and was thrilled to see it was from Hermione: _Hi love. Excited for your news, but can't break away today. Does tomorrow night work, around six? I'll make sure to leave early. I won't be home tonight until at least nine. Everything going well here, except that you keep invading my thoughts. Can't wait to see you. –H_. Sirius quickly penned a reply confirming dinner the following evening and then sent the owl back to Hermione.

That evening during dinner Sirius' own thoughts kept being invaded by his lover and he had an idea to surprise her. After dinner he excused himself and left Grimmauld Place. He walked down to a local grocery and picked up a few items before finding a dark corner where he could apparate to the alley near Hermione's flat. He made his way upstairs and was glad no one was around as he magically unlocked the door. He sent a quick probe into the flat before entering and was glad that he had been correct and the wards still recognized him from Monday. Sirius made his way into the flat and went straight to the kitchen, where he busied himself making a simple pasta dish with vegetables. Then he opened the wine he bought and set a chilling charm on it. With all the food ready, he put warming charms on everything. Crookshanks twined around his legs, reminding him that others needed feeding as well. He gave the cat a good rub and filled his bowl. Then he left a bouquet on the dining table with a note, exited the flat and returned to Grimmauld.

An hour later Hermione finally returned home at 9:30 and immediately knew something was strange. Something smelled. Good. She cast a couple quick spells, but found no one in the flat and no danger detected. She walked in further and saw the flowers on the table. Reading the note, she blushed. Then she followed the smells to the kitchen and found her dinner waiting. She had been planning on heating up some soup, but this was much better. She wanted to cry as she ached for Sirius to be there with her. Of course, he had no idea of when she would actually make it home. Choking back a sob, she went and changed before returning to the kitchen to partake of the delicious meal her thoughtful lover had left for her.

Wednesday dawned and Sirius woke thinking about dinner that evening. He felt a strange mixture of excitement and anxiousness that was unusual for Sirius Black, who rarely was anxious about anything. The previous night at dinner he had advised Harry and Ginny that he had good news and wanted a celebratory dinner. He also let them know that he had a guest who would be attending. Harry had teased him about that, but Sirius shrugged it off. He hoped Harry would be in as good of a mood when he saw who the guest was. As he sat on the edge of the bed thinking, Sirius shook himself and decided that he needed to stop worrying. Hermione was wonderful and what they had was wonderful. The rest would sort itself out. Then he remembered that there was a Weasley family lunch at Grimmauld Place on Saturday to celebrate Fleur's birthday. He and Hermione were both expected to attend and that definitely caused him anxiety.

Sirius' first destination of the day was Wheezes. George had a regular shipment that arrived each Tuesday afternoon and Sirius would regularly show up on Wednesday morning to help stock the shipment. George hadn't asked to make the arrangement permanent, but Sirius enjoyed the brief break once a week. The first week Sirius had worked at Wheezes, the stocking was far behind because no one had handled it in several weeks. Now he could manage to keep up with it working just one morning a week. As he worked in the storeroom, Sirius' thoughts drifted to Hermione and he began to get aroused. Taking a deep breath and diverting his thoughts, Sirius refocused on his task. The last thing he needed was to have George catch him with a hard on. He'd tease Sirius forever.

Once he finished at Wheezes, Sirius stopped and picked up a few groceries that he had told Quisi he would purchase for dinner. The rest of the afternoon was spent painting and Sirius caught himself whistling as he thought of Hermione. As the afternoon light faded, Sirius' concentration was broken when he heard someone laughing behind him. Turning, he saw Ginny smiling at him.

"Oh hi Ginny. I didn't hear you come outside."

"Yes, I figured. You're mighty cheerful Sirius. I wonder if it has something to do with your 'guest' tonight? Anyway, I just came out to ask if you could watch James for a few minutes. He's napping, but I need to pop over to the Burrow. I should be back before he wakes up, but just in case I wanted to let you know."

"Sure Ginny. You go on. I was just getting ready to clean up."

Ginny gave him one more smirk before disappearing back into the house. Sirius cleaned up and went in to check on James. He was sleeping peacefully so Sirius went to get himself dressed for dinner.

At a quarter to six Sirius found himself relaxing with a drink in the living room, trying to keep his composure while he talked to Harry. He and Ginny were both excited for Sirius' news and Harry was already teasing him about who his guest may be. Of course, Harry never came close. A couple minutes after six, the doorbell rang and Sirius leapt out of his seat to go to the door while he could hear Harry laughing behind him. Sirius answered the door and the sight of Hermione slapped him in the face. She was dressed in a simple black skirt with a bright pink blouse that accented the blush color in her cheeks. As he stood admiring, she grabbed his hand and yanked him out to the doorstep while reaching around and closing the door behind him. Then she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck and began kissing him enthusiastically. Sirius happily responded to her kiss while his hands found her waist. A minute later they reluctantly pulled apart.

"That was just a small thank you for dinner last night. Which was also lunch today."

"Well, if that's how you thank me, I'm definitely going to have to cook for you more."

Hermione smiled and leaned in to put her head on his chest. He held her for a moment and kissed her hair before he stepped back and looked in her eyes.

"Ready?"

Hermione nodded and smiled up at him. Sirius took her hand and turned to open the door. They stepped into the foyer and found Harry and Ginny waiting. Sirius closed the door and put his arm around Hermione, while smiling at his godson. Harry seemed like he was about to speak, but his mouth hung slack and silent. Ginny meanwhile looked angry and had her arms crossed. Sirius wondered if he should prepare to shield. Sirius gave them a moment, wondering who should speak first. Hermione was the one to break the silence.

"Hi Harry. Hi Ginny. Ginny, please stop mentally reviewing hexes and let us talk."

"Hmmpf, fine. You both have some explaining to do. Come along."

Ginny turned, taking Harry's arm and leading the way to the living room. Harry still hadn't said anything and Sirius was worried. They entered the room and everyone found seats except Harry. He went over to the bar and poured a shot of firewhisky, which he immediately downed. Turning around to look at Sirius and Hermione, he finally found his voice.

"Alright, how long?"

Sirius figured this was the time to speak up. "We've been dating about two weeks. At least since we acknowledged our feelings. We denied them for a couple weeks before that."

"So I guess this explains why we didn't see you this weekend? Sirius, I love you, but Hermione is my sister in every way that matters. What are you doing with her? If you hurt her, I will not hesitate to make you regret it."

Sirius stared at his godson. The fire in his eyes was shooting at Sirius and the energy in the room was palpable. If Harry was pushed any further, Sirius felt certain that loose magic would pour out of Harry and be aimed directly at him.

"Harry, please calm down. I have no intention of hurting Hermione. I know my reputation doesn't speak well of me, but that is done now. I love Hermione. Trust me when I tell you that my feelings for her have surprised me as much as anyone."

Hermione came to Sirius' side and linked her fingers in his. "Harry, please, we're in love. Yes, I know it hasn't been long, but it just happened. We didn't have a choice in the timing. We knew you'd be upset and I know you want to protect me, that's why we waited until we were sure."

Harry settled a bit. "I suppose there is nothing we can do, but my warning stands Sirius. If you EVER hurt her in any way, I will follow you through the veil and around the world to find you."

"Understood Harry. You don't need to worry."

Hermione turned to Ginny, who had remained silent while Harry talked.

"Ginny, you still look upset. I'm in love. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's WRONG? You're my bloody best friend and sister. We meet for lunch, you come to the park, we've seen you a number of times since this started. And you say nothing? I didn't think we had secrets. Shit! We had lunch on Monday and you made excuses about missing me on Saturday. You wouldn't give me a straight answer, but now I guess I know why. Must have been a bloody good weekend since Sirius completely disappeared."

Hermione blushed deep. "Ginny, I understand. I didn't want to lie to you. That's why we're here now. The two of you are the first people we've told. This hasn't been going on long, it hit both of us by surprise. Please forgive me for not being truthful with you."

Ginny simmered and blew out a long breath. "Fine, I forgive you. But we are seriously having us a girls talk later."

Hermione stepped forward and hugged Ginny and then Harry. Harry held her a bit longer and looked in her eyes.

"You're really okay Mione?"

"Very okay Harry."

After Hermione finished hugging Harry, Sirius stepped forward and held out his hand. Harry took it and then pulled Sirius into a quick hug.

"Take care of her Sirius. There is no one like her."

"I know."

Sirius then turned and hugged Ginny and noticed the elf standing in the corner of the room quietly. He stepped back from Ginny and gestured to the elf, who spoke up.

"Master, mistress, Quisi did not wish to interrupt. Very high feelings in here. When master and his guests are ready, dinner is served."

"Excellent Quisi. We are ready now."

Dinner was a delicious roast with garlic potatoes and a mélange of vegetables. The good food and wine helped to settle the tensions of the evening. Hermione spent a better part of the conversation detailing Harry and Ginny on the changes in her department. Then Ginny brought up the subject of Fleur's birthday.

"So, are the two of you still planning on attending the birthday party this weekend? Mum was planning on it."

"Yes Ginny, Sirius and I will attend together. Which is another reason why we wanted to give you our news ahead of time."

"Well, this will definitely make lunch more interesting."

As they finished eating, Sirius thought the time was right to finally make his announcement.

"So, as I told you, I called this dinner as a celebration. Hermione is certainly something to celebrate, but I do have another reason. I visited Grandy's yesterday and three of my paintings sold. My first payment after commission was around 400 galleons. It seems that I am on my way to being a professional painter."

Harry and Ginny tried to congratulate Sirius, but they were drowned out by Hermione's squeal as she left her seat and went to hug Sirius. He pulled her into his lap as she started kissing him. The kiss was brief, as Harry groaned behind them and Ginny swatted him. Hermione separated herself from Sirius and returned to her seat. Harry looked at them, shaking his head.

"I suppose I'll have to get used to that."

After Sirius' announcement, Quisi appeared with a chocolate torte for dessert and the rest of the evening passed much more peaceably than it had begun. Around nine Hermione declared that she needed to get home and Sirius decided to escort her with a vague excuse about needing to discuss their coming out with the Weasleys. Ginny snorted, not believing a word of it, and shooed them out the door.

Minutes later Hermione and Sirius stepped into her flat and she was on him. Sirius kissed her for a minute before pulling back.

"I did need to talk to you about what to expect…"

"Talk later Sirius. Now we need to celebrate. And I still need to thank you for dinner yesterday."

Sirius smiled and gave into the inevitable as they quickly undressed while stumbling toward the bedroom. They fell across the bed, disturbing a peeved Crookshanks, and Hermione reached to pull Sirius toward her. With little foreplay, he entered her and Hermione set a frantic pace. The first time for the night was fast as they both climaxed powerfully. When they could breathe again, Hermione worked Sirius back up and their second time was slower and even more powerful. Once they were both initially satisfied, they settled back on the bed to talk.

"Merlin's beard Hermione. You're amazing. Just when I don't think you can surprise me, you do that. I didn't think we were going to make it in the door before we started."

"I've got a powerful sexual drive Sirius. I'm glad I found someone to keep up. As I've told you, I've scared a couple of people."

"People? You mean men?"

"Well, mostly men."

"What?"

"Oh come on, certainly you can't be that surprised. I've experimented in the past, a couple years ago. I was pissed at men after a couple bad relationships and decided to try the other side of the game. It was fun, but never really fulfilled me."

"Alright, I guess I'm not too shocked. Maybe just a tiny bit. So, since we're laying here in bed on sticky sheets and revealing our sexual secrets, can I ask you something Hermione?"

Hermione giggled. "Of course. No secrets with you Sirius."

"Tell me about your first time."

Hermione gave a small, fluttery sigh. "It was three days after the end of the war. Harry and I returned to the Burrow with the Weasleys once the Aurors cleared it. Ron and I had been dancing around each other for years, but finally declared ourselves right after the battle. We were so glad to be alive and we were grieving everyone. Emotions were running high and we poured that into each other. All we could do with the family around was an occasional snog, but three days later he flew me out to a quiet spot in the woods near the Burrow. We had a picnic and then made love. It was his first time as well. We were clumsy and I didn't climax that first time. Then we tried again and that time he figured out what to do. Needless to say, once I got a taste of sex there was no going back. Ron was the first man I scared. We were together for a couple years and he's fine in bed, but not quite the same level of fire as me. How about you? First time? I know you didn't wait until you were seventeen."

Sirius chuckled. "No, it was third year, I was fourteen. I'd been flirting with a lot of girls. Kissed a few of them, but most of them were too young to be serious. Then there was this fifth year girl, Lisa. She was gorgeous, blond, stacked. All the things that draw a fourteen year old's eye. I flirted with her a bit, but she kept calling me an immature boy, which I was of course. Then one day I was late getting back into the common room and was rushing down the hall when someone pulled me into an empty classroom. It was Lisa. She asked me if I'd taken a girl yet and when I said no she decided to educate me. She and I met regularly over several months. I shagged a couple other girls in between. I learned quick and Lisa moved on. I never really had a relationship with any girl until sixth year. It was just sex."

"Wow. I guess I'm lucky Ron and I had what we did. We were in love once. I still love him, but not the same. Our emotions after the war were just so fucked up. Still, I don't regret it. So what happened to Lisa? Did you stay in touch?"

"The last I saw her was at Christmas break during my seventh year. We ran into each other at a pub. Two months later she was killed by Death Eaters. She was half muggle and they went after her father."

"Gods, I'm sorry Sirius."

"It's past. James, Moony and I lost a lot of friends in those early years. We were so anxious to hurry up and graduate so that we could fight. Stupid, fucking wars."

Hermione crawled up on him and began to kiss the pain away. He accepted her love gratefully, pulling her to him as he relished the feeling of her lithe body against him. As they kissed, she reached down and maneuvered his erection into her. She set the pace and let him cum quickly, drowning out the bad memories. Realizing she hadn't peaked, Sirius went down on her and brought her to fulfillment. As they started to drift off to sleep, Sirius mumbled in her ear.

"I don't want to leave, but I worry about Harry and Ginny."

"Stay. Please. Don't care what they think."

Sirius couldn't resist and let her pull him close as sleep claimed them.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 – Turning Away the Past

Hermione woke up early the next morning and smiled at the gorgeous, well tousled man next to her. She really could get used to waking up like this. With a small sigh, she disengaged herself and climbed out of bed. As she swung her legs over the edge, she winced a bit. Maybe their first time last night had been a bit too rough. She was definitely in need of a hot shower. A half hour later she was busy drying her hair when a warm pair of arms circled her. Smiling, she turned and kissed Sirius awake. He was still naked and starting to rise and Hermione was having second thoughts about work when he pulled away from her.

"I love you Hermione, but if you are going to get to work, I'll need to get out of the way. What do you like to eat before work?"

"Oh, I suppose you're right Sirius. I really do need to get ready. I usually just have a roll or porridge and some tea."

Sirius yawned and nodded while he stepped around her to the toilet. Once he finished, he made his way to the kitchen, stopping on the way to pull on his trunks. He had her tea and porridge ready when she came out of the bedroom looking beautiful in a navy blue pantsuit accented with a gold blouse and earrings. They sat down together while she ate quickly and they talked about their plans for the day. Sirius found himself happy and relaxed, thinking this was something he could get used to. 'When did you become so damn domesticated Black?' he wondered. Then Hermione smiled and kissed him goodbye and Sirius had his answer. He cleaned up the kitchen, filled Crookshanks' water bowl and went to find his clothes. A few minutes later he tiptoed into Grimmauld and was on the way to his room when he heard Ginny's voice as she stepped into the hall.

"Oh stop being ridiculous Sirius. You're not sneaking in. So you spent the night at Hermione's flat. It's not like you're the first. Maybe the infamous Sirius Black will be able to keep up with her appetite. And I don't mean food."

"Really Ginny? I don't want to have this conversation."

Ginny laughed. "I can't believe it. I made Sirius Black blush!"

Sirius groaned and waved her off as he continued up the stairs to shower and find clean clothes.

Sirius spent most of the morning painting. He finished his ship painting and decided to get out for a bit. As his stomach rumbled, he decided on the Leaky and apparated to the pub. Tom waved at him as he came in and Sirius ordered the daily special, a large Cornish pasty with a pint. He settled at the bar and began to chat up the old man. The Leaky felt like home and Tom had known Sirius since before he had even been legal. As they talked, a pair of hands came around to cover Sirius' eyes and a high, lilting voice demanded him to guess who it was. Sirius had no idea and was mildly annoyed that he could no longer see the food he was trying to eat. He removed the hands and turned around to see another old acquaintance from before Azkaban.

"Shelly. Hello. It's been a long time. How are you doing?"

"Oh Sirius! How come you didn't guess?"

"Shelly, it's been twenty years. I don't remember voices after that long."

"Hmm, well maybe we need to get reacquainted Sirius. Eddie Long is throwing a party tonight. You remember Eddie. He was a bit of a nutter, but Jenna wrapped him up about eight years ago and she settled him down a bit. Has a job in maintenance at the Ministry now. Well Jenna's shipping the kids to her parents tonight, they've got three now if you believe it, and is throwing a bash for all the old crowd. I'm sure everyone would love to see you. We could make a fun night of it. The Corgan twins will be there too. I'm sure you remember them."

Sirius suppressed a groan. He did remember Jenna and her crowd. It sounded like they had settled down some, but not much. He'd been to quite a few of her parties. Now though he found himself with no desire to go back to that. He looked at Shelly and gave her his non-committal half smile.

"Thanks Shelly, but I've got plans tonight. Still trying to get sorted after my return. Tell everyone I said hello. It was nice to see you."

Shelly pouted and moved in closer to start rubbing up against Sirius and he gently pushed her back.

"Sorry Shelly. Not anymore. Have a good time tonight."

Shelly mumbled something unflattering, turned and headed straight out the door. Sirius sighed and returned to his lunch. Then he looked up and saw Tom was looking at him strange.

"Problem Tom?"

"No, guess not. Still, you sure you're Sirius? From what I remember of you, that little bird and you would've been finding a room upstairs by now."

"I've changed Tom. Survive two wars and come back from the dead and it changes you."

"Really? Or is it some pretty birdie you already got wrapped up?"

"She's not a pretty birdie Tom. She's a brilliant witch and that's all you need to know."

Tom let out a low whistle and stepped back with a shake of his head. Sirius quickly finished his lunch and exited the Leaky with his mind reviewing the afternoon. He should have realized that even after being in prison and then dead for close to seven years that there would still be plenty of people who remembered him from his youthful days. He'd need to talk to Hermione and warn her. Even if he had finally grown up, his past still had a way of coming back around.

Sirius returned to Grimmauld and started working on a new painting. His visit to the National Gallery had given him a lot of inspiration and before he realized, his light was fading. Harry arrived home and he and Sirius sat down to talk before dinner. Sirius was glad that he and Ginny had settled down more and seemed to accept the situation. Then, in the middle of dinner Harry dropped his own bombshell.

"Sirius, I need to talk to you about the inheritance you gave me. I know you said you don't care, but I do. You've given us the house, which is wonderful and we appreciate it, but there is still the matter of the Black family vault. Because it's one of the oldest vaults, the name never changed, just the ownership. When I took possession of it, I spent a good bit of time with a couple other Aurors cleaning it out. You need to know that we cleaned out a lot of dark items. They were probably worth a lot to certain people, but I let the Ministry take them. Even after the cleaning, there is still a lot in there. There were a couple pieces of jewelry that were completely clean that Ginny has, but other than that I haven't touched it. I still have my parents' vault, which is plenty for when we want to splurge. Usually our monthly expenses are more than met with my salary since we're not extravagant people. So, I arranged to sign the vault back over to you. The change goes into effect at midnight."

"Alright Harry, I guess what's done is done. I'm glad you cleaned it out, I can only imagine the shit that was in there. And I'm happy Ginny has some pieces she likes. You know if you ever need anything, you only have to ask. Honestly, when I said I didn't care before that was before I fell in love with Hermione. Or at least when I was in denial that I was falling in love with her. Now that we're involved, it's good to know that I can splurge on her if I wish."

Harry seemed happy with that response and the rest of dinner proceeded normally. That evening Sirius found it difficult to sleep in his distressingly empty bed. 'She really has done you in old boy' Sirius thought to himself. Eventually though sleep claimed him. The next morning Sirius woke once again to an owl tapping on his window. The note the owl brought was brief: _Dinner tonight, Chinese takeout, my flat, 6? Love you. – H_. Sirius' response that he sent back was equally brief: _Wonderful. Love Chinese, but can't wait for dessert. –S_. Sirius smirked as he sent the note back. 'That should keep her distracted today' he thought.

Sirius dressed and went down to breakfast. He ate quick and then went to grab his supplies. He'd been thinking the night before that he needed another change of scenery and had an idea. With his easel and bag packed, Sirius left Grimmauld and headed to the Tube stop. He rode a fair distance before disembarking and making his way to street level. The stop that he had picked was near the river and within sight of several historical stops. Sirius found a good viewpoint and setup his easel. He spent the next couple hours working on the basic details until he reached the point where he couldn't go further while standing on a muggle street, so he packed up and returned home. Once he was back in his garden studio, Sirius began mixing his paints and potions and started working on the details that would bring the painting to life. Shortly after five he stopped and cleaned up before going back upstairs to change. As he made his way downstairs, Ginny was writing in the library and saw him walk by.

"Good night Sirius. I guess we'll be seeing you at lunch tomorrow. Make sure you set a timer or mum will send someone to collect you."

Sirius groaned and exited the house. Instead of apparating straight to the flat, he walked a few blocks over and found a bakery he remembered from his wanderings. He picked up a small cheesecake and then found a safe point to apparate to Hermione's flat. He had barely knocked when Hermione opened the door and beamed at him. He took a step in and took her in his arms in one swift movement. As she kissed him hungrily, he began to tighten his arms around her. Then he remembered the cheesecake he was carrying that was now tilting at an odd angle.

"Oops, one second. I'm about to drop the cheesecake."

Hermione pulled away with a gleam in her eye. "Cheescake?"

Sirius handed the box to her and Hermione opened it to sniff.

"Ooh Sirius, how did you know? Cheesecake is my second weakness only behind chocolate."

"I didn't know, but duly noted now."

Sirius followed her into the flat and saw that she already had Chinese boxes spread on the dining table. The smell wafted to him and his stomach rumbled. Hermione had put the cheesecake in the kitchen and returned with drinks. Sirius pulled her in for a brief kiss before turning back to dinner. They spent the first couple minutes reviewing the dishes and Sirius took some of everything. He hadn't had Chinese since before Azkaban and everything looked delicious. As they started to eat, he inquired about how her week had gone.

"Well, the reorganization of the department is about done. The two new managers that are reporting to me are going to be busy for a few weeks getting everything shuffled. I'll be available to help smooth over any bumps, especially in dealing with other departments. I'll have plenty to do, but it won't be near as overwhelming as the work has been for me lately. We've already had one positive report as a result of the new department split. The Welsh dragon reserve has been trying to setup a meeting with me for weeks about dragon breeding regulations and I haven't been able to move them up the schedule. Well, they got their meeting this week and are quite happy. It helps that our department has increased 30% in two weeks."

"Well, that should be a good start to justify the expenditure. Where did you get the new staff?"

"Mainly transfers from other departments. Our department is one of the more highly placed so it's a good place to move for those looking for upward momentum in their careers. Everyone in the department works hard, but it's never boring and there's a lot of opportunities to learn. The departments we stole them from now have to find replacements, but that's where the external HR department comes in."

"It really is amazing the complexity of the Ministry and how all the departments relate. I probably never would be able to tolerate it."

"No, you're an artist Sirius, a free spirit. You're not someone who can sit in an office underground all day. We're definitely opposites that way. So, I've had enough work for the week, what have you been doing?"

"Painting a lot more. Now that I know my paintings have an audience, it motivates me. Also, our trip to the National Gallery was inspiring. It's given me a lot of ideas. I'm still helping George on Wednesdays. It's only one day a week, but I like the change and it's good to get out and see friends. Which reminds me, I need to talk to you about something."

Hermione cocked an eyebrow and waited while she slurped lo mein noodles. Sirius was trying to gather his thoughts but watching her lips pull in the noodles was extremely distracting. He refocused on his kung pao and decided he should just go for it.

"So, I was in the Leaky yesterday for lunch. I needed to get out for a bit and the Leaky is like home. Tom's known me practically since before I could see over the bar. Anyway, an old acquaintance found me while I was there and invited me to a party with a crowd that I used to hang with before Azkaban. I declined, but this acquaintance was rather insistent, annoyingly so. I had to be quite firm and Tom was shocked that I didn't jump at the opportunity. I also saw another old friend a couple weeks ago in Diagon Alley, someone else who remembered me from a different lifetime. I'm telling you this so that you know that I've changed now, but not everyone knows. There will probably be more old friends who try to hook me up. I'll put them off, but it's still going to happen and I want you to be prepared."

"I understand Sirius. I'm assuming both these old friends are witches?"

Sirius nodded and looked at Hermione concerned. She leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Sirius, we both have history and past lovers. Your list is of course quite a bit longer, but I'm not going into this blind. I know who you are now. You are not a passing fancy. I am yours and yours alone as we discussed. Of course, if one of these old friends comes around when I'm with you, then I may have to play the clingy, possessive girlfriend. I hope you're alright with that?"

"More than alright. When Shelly tried to force herself on me I was repulsed. After having you I can't go back to that."

Sirius leaned over and gave her one more long kiss before they finished the last of the Chinese. Then Hermione waved her wand and cleaned up the trash before standing up and taking Sirius by the hand to the living room. Hermione made her way to a record player and put on some slow rock music. Reaching for Sirius' hand she pulled him to the middle of the room as they began to dance. Sirius reveled in the feel of her softness pressed up against him as they moved to the music. Being at her side was like finally coming home and never wanting to leave. They danced through several songs without saying a word, just enjoying being together. As the fourth song started, Sirius bent his head and began to nuzzle her neck gently. Hermione turned her head to the side and Sirius began to trace small kisses along her neck as Hermione softly moaned. Then she looked up and kissed him while her hands began unbuttoning his shirt. As her delicate fingers traced across his chest, Sirius reached and gently pulled her sweater over her head. Underneath he found a light blue silk bra, which he quickly removed so that he could began lavishing her chest with kisses while Hermione ran her fingers through his hair. When he worked his way back up to her mouth, Hermione reached for his belt and zipper. She carefully undid his pants while their tongues entwined and his hands pleasured her breasts. Then he reached down and unzipped her skirt, which fell to her ankles, leaving her clad in only light blue knickers. As she finally dropped his jeans, Sirius pulled Hermione tightly to himself and began grinding his erection against her as she moaned.

"Gah, Sirius, please. I need you."

"I'm yours love, all yours. Tell me what you want."

"I…I want you to take me over the couch right now. Pleeese."

Sirius smiled and quickly yanked her knickers off. He slid two fingers through her folds, causing her to shake, clutching at his chest. Then he let go long enough to drop his trunks and free his straining erection. As he continued kissing her, he moved toward the couch and then turned Hermione around so that she was bent over the arm. He massaged her ass as he leaned over and began kissing her shoulder and on down her back. As he kissed, he began to press into her. When he had fully sheathed himself in her hot core, Sirius let out a long breath before he began to slowly build a rhythm. Each downward stroke caused Hermione to give a small yelp as he hit her most sensitive areas inside. Then he would draw back and she would groan in frustration.

"Sirius love, please harder. I need to cum so bad."

Sirius smiled and began to increase his rhythm until he was pounding her so hard that she had to dig her fingers into the couch to keep herself in position. He worried that it was too much, but then Hermione began to scream as her climax built and demanded him to keep going. Sirius panted and kept his rhythm as he felt his own release fast approaching. Then Hermione threw her head up and arched her back as her scream drowned out his grunting. He bent over and kissed her open mouth while maintaining his thrusts and continuing her climax for several minutes. Finally Sirius felt the wave hit him and he released himself into Hermione as he panted her name and called to whatever deities could hear him. They quaked together for several more minutes before his sight returned and he could breathe again. As her muscles finally relaxed, he slipped out of her and a flood of fluids flowed down her thighs. Using the last of his strength, Sirius picked her up and carried her to the bedroom where they collapsed and dozed.

An hour or so later Sirius gradually came to and found Hermione staring at him. He pulled himself to her and kissed her soundly.

"Hermione love, I think you're going to be my undoing. I'm completely spent, but I still want to do nothing but stay here all night and make love to you in every way we can imagine."

"Sirius darling, I'm all yours. Anything you want to do to me I can't deny."

Sirius pulled her closer and began to trace kisses around her ear as he felt himself start to rise again. Then he remembered something and pulled back to look in her eyes.

"Hermione, I'm feeling hungry again, be right back."

Sirius rolled off the bed as Hermione groaned. He wasn't gone long when he returned with the box of cheesecake and the bottle of wine. Hermione was parched and grabbed the wine immediately. She downed a gulp and smiled at her lover. Sirius opened the box and dug a fork into the cheesecake, which he then turned and fed to Hermione. While she settled back to finish her bite, her eyes closed in appreciation and Sirius took a bite of his own. Then a screech and a thud interrupted them as Crookshanks landed on the bed and began to nose the box. Sirius looked at the cat and shook his head. Setting the box down, he got off the bed, picked up the cat and deposited him outside as he closed the door.

"Sorry Crookshanks. Afraid you're not welcome mate."

Hermione laughed as she took another bite of cheesecake and Sirius went to join her. They sat and fed each other for a few minutes before Hermione set the box aside and pounced on Sirius. As she kissed her way down his body, she ended at his throbbing cock and smiled as she looked up at him wickedly. Then she stuck out her tongue and delicately licked around the head. Sirius almost came right then, until he saw Hermione doing something else. She reached over and took a bite of the cheesecake in her hand, which she then brought to his cock. Looking up at Sirius, she wrapped her hand around his shaft and began coating him in their dessert. Sirius groaned at the sight. In all his experiences, no one had ever done anything like this. Once she was done, Hermione carefully began licking her fingers. Unable to take anymore, Sirius grabbed her hand and sucked a finger into his mouth. He carefully cleaned all the cheesecake off before moving to the next finger and sucking that one until it was clean. As he finished with all her fingers, Hermione gave him a gentle push and Sirius settled back on the bed as she returned her attention to his now quite painful erection. She dipped her head down and began to lick the cheesecake off of him. The feeling was exquisite pain as he begged her for release. Seeing his need, Hermione started taking him deep into her mouth. She was only able to get about two thirds in and then she started moving up and down. After several passes, she pulled back and gently swirled the head before then blowing on him and taking him all again. When she reached down and began to squeeze his balls, Sirius finally lost it and filled Hermione's throat with his essence. She slurped and took it all down as Sirius grunted and quaked under her. Once he finished, she crawled up and settled herself on his chest.

"Mmmm. I think cheesecake may be my new favorite now."

Sirius groaned and couldn't believe his cock was twitching again as he pulled her to him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Next Steps

Sirius woke the next morning to a beautiful witch looking down on him. He smiled and pulled her down for a kiss.

"Morning beautiful. How are you this morning?"

"Wonderful. Maybe a bit sore. I lost track of our count last night."

"Four or five, I think. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"Don't be. You only did what I ask. Honestly, feeling a bit sore is like a happy reminder for the day after."

"Well my happy reminder is lying next to me. I miss you when you're not next to me. Thursday night was the worst."

Hermione suddenly got a serious look on her face and Sirius pulled back to look at her with concern.

"What is it love?"

"I have a question. Something I've been thinking about, but I don't want to scare you."

"Well you haven't managed to scare me yet. You can tell me anything, you know that."

"I've been thinking this whole week. I hate waking up and not having you next to me. I was wondering if you want to move in here?"

Sirius looked at Hermione and smiled. Then he pulled her on top of him and kissed her deeply before pulling back briefly.

"Really? I'd love that. Now that I know what I'm missing, when I'm gone it drives me mad."

Hermione beamed down on him and pulled herself up.

"Excellent! Well, it's already eight. Do you want to move in this morning? I don't think you've got much to pack."

Sirius laughed. "Sure, I suppose no use in waiting. Let me grab a quick shower and pop over to Grimmauld to collect my things and give Harry and Ginny the news. Gods, I can't believe this. I'm moving in with my girlfriend."

"I can't either, but I'm happy you want to. Since we've been together I've hated coming back to a dark flat with just a cat. You go get a shower, I'll stay here. We'll have plenty of mornings for shower fun. Then I'll get cleaned up and make breakfast while you're at Grimmauld. On second thought, do you want me to come along and deliver the news?"

"No, I think I'll be fine. Ginny is going to tease me terribly, but she's been doing that all week."

"Hmm yes, Ginny can be a terrible tease. She's definitely a Weasley."

Sirius gave Hermione one more kiss before climbing out of bed. He took a fast shower and went to the living room to find his clothes. Once he was dressed, he apparated to the doorstep of Grimmauld Place and entered the house. Sirius could hear voices coming from the kitchen and decided that he should go deliver his news first. He entered the kitchen and found Harry and Ginny done with breakfast and sipping the last of their tea. Harry looked at Sirius' grinning face and shook his head.

"Good morning Sirius. You look cheerful. I'm sure I don't want details why."

"Actually Harry, that's what I came in to talk to you about. I'm moving out. You and Ginny need your space and I've been spending more time at Hermione's flat anyway, so she asked me to move in. I'm here to collect my things. We'll be back over for lunch later."

Harry groaned and Ginny chortled. "Alright, I suppose I'm not surprised. It does seem a bit quick. You know you're welcome here, you don't need to rush things."

"I know Harry and I realize this seems quick, but it's right. I can't believe how I've changed, but I'm happy and I want nothing more than to wake up with the one I love and be there when she comes home from a long day at the office."

"Fine. I'm glad you're both happy. Be good to her, my threat still stands."

Sirius gave his godson a hug and left the kitchen to collect his things. He started in the garden shed and packed up all his supplies in an old crate from the shed. Next he went to the attic and retrieved a trunk for the rest of his things. In a half hour he had gathered everything and was back downstairs. Sirius stuck the crate to the top of his trunk, stacked his easel on top of that and then cast a weightless spell. He was then able to grab hold of the stack before apparating back to Hermione's flat. He took a risk and landed in the hallway instead of the alley outside. Thankfully, no one was around. He knocked and the door opened for him immediately. Hermione had already changed the charms to recognize him on contact. He entered and set his luggage down as Hermione came out of the kitchen.

"Hi love. That was fast. I'm just heating some rolls and making tea. I figured we'd have a light breakfast since we'll be having a Weasley family lunch."

Sirius crossed the room and took her in his arms. "Sounds perfect. It's good to be here with you and to know that I don't have to leave. Thank you."

He began kissing her and Hermione responded ardently. Several minutes later she pulled back with a sigh.

"Come Sirius, let's eat. Then we can get you settled in."

After they ate, Sirius began unpacking while Hermione found places for his stuff. They decided that the best place for his easel was in a corner of the living room by the large window. After moving the furniture around slightly, Sirius was easily able to setup the corner as a small studio. Hermione had an antique chest that she used for decorative purposes that had only one blanket in it. With that removed, the chest was perfect for storing the majority of his paints, potions and supplies. Spare canvases were put in the hall coat closet. Finally, most of his clothes went in the closet with Hermione's. Her closet was good sized, but still couldn't fit everything and they decided that as soon as possible they would find a wardrobe for the overflow. By eleven the unpacking and settling was done and they curled up on the couch together.

"I'm glad you're here Sirius. I know we'll have some adjustments, but I'm happy."

"Me too love. It's still a bit surreal, but I'm happy. James would never have believed this. Old Padfoot gone and settled in with one girl."

"You've been thinking about James a lot lately. When did you last visit Godric's Hollow?"

"Yes love, James has been haunting my thoughts. I haven't been to visit since two days after they were buried. I was on the run, but I had to see him one last time. I think it would be good to go back now as a free man. Maybe I should go with Harry."

"I think that would be good for both of you. And you need to tell Harry all the little stories about his dad and mum. Even if they seem silly, he needs to hear it all. Like the story about Lily taking the Marauders on their first muggle Tube ride."

"Yes, you're right. Maybe a trip to Godric's to the cemetery and then we could stop at the pub there. It tends to be quieter than the Leaky."

Hermione nodded. "Now, it's almost time to head back to Grimmauld for Fleur's birthday and our next disclosure. Are you ready for this Sirius?"

"Bloody hell yes. We're in love and they can just stuff it if they don't like it."

Hermione chuckled. "Well then, let me collect the pie I picked up for the party and we can head over. We're already a few minutes late, but that will mean most everyone will already be there."

"Good, we can get this done with everyone then."

Five minutes later Hermione and Sirius apparated to the doorstep of Grimmauld Place and knocked. The door opened and it was Ginny. She smiled and gave them each a hug as she whispered in Hermione's ear.

"Everyone is here except Percy and Audrey. They're all in the living room. Hope you're ready."

Hermione nodded as Sirius put his arm around her possessively and they walked down the hall behind Ginny. As they entered the room, Sirius decided to act nonchalant as he greeted the room.

"Hello everyone! Happy birthday Fleur."

All eyes turned to them and mouths dropped as they saw Sirius and Hermione's arms around each other. Molly was standing across the room speechless, while Arthur was the first to find his tongue.

"Hello Sirius, Hermione. Um, so I take it the two of you are together now?"

"Yes Arthur. We've been dating for several weeks."

Hermione decided it was time to speak up. "We're quite happy."

George started chuckling as Molly suddenly came out of her shock and crossed the room, standing right in front of Sirius and looking up into his eyes.

"Sirius Black! I know plenty about you. What are you doing with my daughter?"

Sirius withheld a desire to duck and cover as he was about to respond, but Hermione spoke first.

"Please Molly, don't look at him like that. He's not doing anything with me that I don't want."

Molly turned and looked at Hermione in shock while several gasps were heard behind them. Harry had his head down and Hermione thought she heard him groan. Molly finally replied to Hermione.

"Fine. I suppose I can't do anything about this, but Sirius, if you hurt her I'll…"

"Easy Molly. I know, if I hurt her, I'll wish I'd stayed in the veil. Harry has already given me the full rundown."

Charlie was the next to speak up. "Well, as long as you understand Black that each of us considers Hermione a sister. She has six brothers that will come for you."

"And me." Arthur interjected.

Sirius looked around the room at the fierce looks before he replied.

"Listen, I understand that I deserve this. I know my reputation. Now I ask that you give me a chance to change my reputation. I love Hermione like I never knew I could love a woman."

Molly huffed and went to sit back down and the rest of the room appeared to settle a bit. Ginny made room for them on a couch and they settled in as previous conversations resumed. After a few minutes, Bill turned the conversation to Sirius.

"So Sirius, what are your plans now that you're back?"

"Well, Harry and Ginny encouraged me to take up a hobby that I used to have and I've rediscovered my love for painting. I had thought it would only be a hobby, but Nathaniel Grandy of Grandy's Fine Arts and Antiques took a liking to my work and took some paintings on commission. Three of them have already sold and he wants more. So I've decided to try painting professionally for a while."

"Really? That is the last response I would have expected. So, do you think you can make a living at it?"

Sirius realized that the line of questioning was an assessment of his suitability for Hermione and he decided to lay everything on the table.

"Well, my first three paintings brought in 400 after commission. Plus Harry has generously signed the Black vault back to me. The house remains his and Ginny's of course. So, yes, I think I can make a go of it without having to fall back on my inheritance too much."

"Still, living in London isn't cheap."

Hermione decided to deliver the next bomb. "No Bill, London is not cheap, but Sirius and I are sharing a flat now so between us we're doing well."

That bit of news brought a new round of mutterings and Hermione was disturbed to see that Ron looked distressed.

"Ron, are you all right? I'm happy with Sirius."

"Yeah, fine Hermione, just, well, fine."

Hermione looked at Chrissy. "Chrissy, do you mind if Ron and I go talk in the kitchen for a minute?"

Chrissy nodded and waved them on. Hermione looked at Sirius and he smiled at her as she stood. Taking Ron by the arm, Hermione dragged him to the kitchen.

"Alright Ron, I know you too well, what is it? I don't understand what the problem is. We've been broken up for years."

"It's not that Hermione. I love Chrissy and I understand now that we never would have worked the way Chrissy and me work. The problem is that your new boyfriend is Sirius Black. THE Sirius Black. I just can't believe you'd be with someone like him."

"Ron, that's ridiculous. What do you know about Sirius? You've probably heard that he's bedded half the witches in England, he's a party boy, directionless. All the old rumors from twenty years ago. Am I correct?"

"Well yeah and you deserve better Hermione. Just because we aren't together doesn't mean I don't love you. You're amazing and special and you need someone who will appreciate you."

"Thank you Ron, but you should know Sirius does appreciate me. He's had a couple of old girlfriends try to reconnect with him lately and he pushed them away. For me. I can hardly believe it. What you've heard about him is old news. The man I've fallen in love with is someone completely different. He cooks, we go to art galleries, he listens to me ramble on about work. Give him a chance. Please."

Ron looked at Hermione and nodded. "Alright, I'll try. I just want you to be happy."

Hermione gave Ron and hug and looked at him. "Okay, now YOU are going to be happy. This is a birthday party. Also, what are you doing with that pretty blonde witch who's been following you around for two years? Made your mind up yet?"

"I'm working on it Hermione. Let's go back to the party."

Hermione returned to the living room and saw that Harry had moved over to talk to Sirius. She was looking around for a seat when Sirius reached out for her. Smiling, Hermione crossed the room to him and took the seat he offered on his lap. George looked at her and rolled his eyes. Hermione stuck out her tongue at him and draped an arm around Sirius. As Hermione began talking to Harry, a knock sounded at the door. Bill got up to answer it and a minute later Percy and Audrey finalized the family gathering. As he entered, Percy looked over at Sirius and Hermione. Shaking his head, he walked over to them.

"Well, seems like you've been busy Sirius. Hermione, are you alright?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes Percy. Quite alright. I'm in love. And quit glaring. Sirius has already been thoroughly warned and threatened by two Weasleys and a Potter."

"Well, alright. I can't say I'm surprised with some of your tastes around the Ministry. Be good to her Sirius."

Percy turned and went to squeeze in between his wife and George, oblivious to the looks that his comment had caused around the room. Hermione did notice a small smirk on Sirius' face. As Percy sat, Molly stood up and declared that she was going to the kitchen to help Quisi with the final preparations. As she left, she tapped Ginny and Hermione and gestured towards the door. The two friends looked at each other, shrugged and followed obediently, knowing better than to question.

When they reached the kitchen, Molly turned and stared at Ginny and Hermione.

"Alright, we need to talk, woman to woman without your brothers. Ginny, you obviously knew about this before today?"

"Yes mum, Harry and I've known for a week. I had some suspicions before, but Harry remained clueless. He knew of course that Sirius disappeared last weekend, but we figured he was up to his old ways."

"Disappeared last weekend? All weekend?"

"Um.."

Hermione decided this was her point to interject. "Yes Molly, he was with me. All weekend. You figure it out from there."

"Really Hermione, I would have thought you'd have more discretion. This is Sirius Black."

"Discretion? As in staying in my own flat? Molly, I'm 24 and experienced enough to know what I want. After Kingsley you really can't be under any delusions regarding my innocence. As for Sirius, I ask that you not judge him by the person he was twenty years ago. Give the man a chance."

Molly was about to speak again, but Ginny interrupted her.

"Kingsley? What about Kingsley?"

"Molly caught him leaving my flat when she dropped by one morning. That was over a year ago Ginny. It was a passing thing for a couple months."

George appeared in the doorway and stopped. "Um, wow, alright. Mum, dad asks if we can leave the horseradish on the side. He thinks it's been disturbing his stomach. And Hermione, Kingsley? You shagged the Minister of Magic? Impressive."

Hermione groaned. "Enough! We are not having this conversation. I am in love with Sirius and he is the only person I am involved with now. We do not need to go through the list of the persons I've been involved with in the past."

"Persons? You mean men, right? Or do I not want to know the answer to that?"

"Out! Get out George! Tell Arthur we'll put his horseradish on the side and keep your gob shut."

"Alright, alright, point taken. My, but I think we have been rubbing off on you Hermione."

George left the room smirking while Hermione blew out a long breath and was about to run her hand through her hair when Ginny stopped her.

"Don't Hermione. You'll never get your hair controlled if you keep doing that. It turns into a cloud of curls."

"You're right Ginny. Of course, Sirius likes my hair like that."

"Oh I bet. I'm sure your hair looks delightful when he gets done with you."

"Like you can talk. When you get done with Harry his looks like he's been through an electrical storm."

"Really girls, some propriety."

"You're the one who called us in for girl talk mum."

The two young witches dissolved into laughter and were soon joined by Molly chuckling lightly in the background as she turned to work on lunch preparations. Twenty minutes later the three witches and house elf had everything ready and Ginny went to shoo everyone to the dining room. Quisi declared she could take over and Hermione and Molly went to find seats. Hermione sat toward the end of the long twenty person table and Sirius came to sit next to her.

"Everything alright Hermione?"

"Yes love, just a bit of girl talk. All sorted now."

"Alright, good. By the way, why are we celebrating Fleur's birthday here? Not that it matters, as long as the whole family is together, just curious."

"That's the thing Sirius. The family keeps growing. We can't fit in the Burrow and definitely not into Shell Cottage. And February is not the best month for garden dining. Grimmauld Place has become the ideal place to fit us all."

"Ah well, that makes sense. It's good to see the old place getting turned into a proper family home."

The rest of the meal and afternoon passed with the usual frivolity that was expected at a Weasley family get together. Hermione and Sirius took a bit of teasing, but so did Ron with a number of comments about making a decision soon. Charlie even offered to take Chrissy to Romania if little Ronnie didn't figure it out. Ron glared and everyone laughed. Of course Hermione knew it was a bluff. She was fairly certain that Charlie had a lover in Romania and it wasn't a woman. By around four in the afternoon all the well stuffed Weasleys and extended family began to leave. Sirius had had enough and he and Hermione left shortly after George and Angie. They arrived back at the flat and collapsed on the couch.

"Well that wasn't too bad."

"Guess not, we're still alive."

"And I still have my bollocks intact."

"For which I am quite glad."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 – An Unexpected Meeting

Hermione woke up around nine on Sunday morning. She was on her back and Sirius was on his side next to her with his arm thrown across her. Crookshanks had somehow gotten the door open and had himself draped across Sirius' feet. Hermione had to suppress a laugh as she thought he looked like a particularly fluffy pair of slippers. Sirius was snoring lightly, more like a gentle wheeze, and Hermione lay watching and listening to him for a few minutes. She was happy to know that she would have this view to wake up to every morning. Eventually her body demanded that she remove herself to the bathroom and she got up carefully enough that neither man nor cat were disturbed. When she finished in the bathroom, she put on a robe and made her way to the kitchen to start a pot of tea. Deciding to let Sirius sleep in, she took her tea and a book to the living room. An hour later he appeared, yawning. He'd put on his trunks and Hermione was mildly disappointed before rationalizing that it really wouldn't be good to have her boyfriend walking starkers in front of the large windows in downtown London. He came over and gave her a sound kiss before settling next to her on the couch.

"Morning love."

"Morning. I started tea. I wasn't cooking yet because I wanted to let you sleep."

"Thanks. I do declare you wear me out woman. Anyway we can just heat some buns to go with the tea."

"Sounds good. I'll go do that. You wake up. And I think Crookshanks wants pets. Looks like I'm not the only one happy you moved in."

After breakfast Hermione went to tidy up the kitchen while Sirius put the bedroom in order. As she was finishing the counters, someone knocked on the door. Mildly surprised, Hermione wondered if old Mrs. Dowder had forgotten some ingredient again and went to answer the door. When she opened it, Hermione was shocked to find her mother standing in front of her.

"Hermione dear! I was out this morning to go to Champings to look for a wedding present for Earl's daughter. You remember Earl. Sad looking fellow with the Aston that we met on vacation in Brighton? Struck up a conversation with your dad about golf. Well, Earl's daughter is getting married next month and of course she has to have the full do and I have to find just the right present. Well, she's registered her patterns at Champings, but of course the shop near us is completely out of the piece that I want. I was thinking about a large serving platter. Anyway, I don't want to wait until the last minute so I had them check and the Champings around the corner from you had the piece I was wanting, so I decided I'd make a quick trip down here to get it. Now that that's done, I thought I might as well drop in and see you since you've been so busy with your job that you haven't come out to visit your parents in forever. So now I'm here and you should get dressed so we can go to lunch."

As Jean Granger rambled on to her shocked and silent daughter, she stepped into the flat and began to look her daughter over. As she finished and Hermione was about to answer, Sirius came out of the bedroom.

"Hey love, do we have more furniture polish? I've banished the dust but the wood really does better with a bit of…"

Sirius looked up at Mrs. Granger and then looked at a blushing Hermione.

"Um, sorry, be right back."

Sirius disappeared back into the bedroom and Hermione turned to look at her mother, who was now wearing that questioning stare that Hermione knew meant someone had better start explaining and soon. Then Sirius reappeared, now wearing pants instead of just trunks, although he still had no shirt. He stepped over to Hermione's side and put an arm around her.

"Mum, this is Sirius Black, my boyfriend. Sirius, my mother, Jean Granger."

Sirius decided it was time to pour on the charm as he gave Jean his best smile.

"Mrs. Granger, a pleasure. I do apologize, we weren't expecting you. Just doing a bit of weekend cleaning. Your daughter has spoken of you and Mr. Granger quite a bit. It's good to finally meet you."

Jean Granger took Sirius' hand and smiled slightly at him. She was still in shock, but recovered quickly.

"Good to meet you as well Mr. Black. Unfortunately, I have heard very little about you from my daughter. Although she has been out of touch with us lately. Well Hermione, it seems that I'm intruding. I'll leave you two. Call me about lunch sometime soon so we can talk."

"Mum, wait. We can still do lunch. Would you mind if Sirius comes along?"

"Hermione that's okay, I can stay here. You two.."

"No Mr. Black, that's quite alright. Let's all go to lunch."

"Alright, I'll agree, as long as you call me Sirius. Mr. Black was my father and I was not overly fond of him."

Jean nodded and tried to not be disarmed by Sirius' smile.

"Come love, we should be more properly attired for lunch."

Hermione followed Sirius to the bedroom as they dressed quickly for their impromptu lunch. Not wanting to keep her mother waiting, Hermione opted to pull her hair up rather than try to tame it. As she did, Sirius came behind her and starting nipping on her neck.

"Sirius, behave! We need to get ready for lunch and I want mum to like you."

Sirius chuckled and desisted as he watched Hermione finish. When they were both dressed they returned to the living room where Jean was staring at the half finished painting on Sirius' easel. When she heard them enter the room, she turned and looked at them with a strange look.

"Ah, Hermione you look lovely. While I was waiting I remembered something I read in your newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Sirius, I believe you're the man who returned from some kind of time travel recently? Your name is most unusual and I finally placed why it seemed familiar."

"Yes Mrs. Granger that.."

"Jean please."

"Yes Jean, that's me. I am a bit surprised that you receive the Prophet."

"Mum perhaps we should go to lunch and explain a bit more? Sirius, I'll explain the Prophet later."

As they turned to the door, Jean turned back around and looked at the easel.

"I must say Hermione, your painting has improved from when you attempted it years ago."

"Oh, I'm not the painter mum, that's Sirius' work. He's quite good."

Jean cast an appraising eye back on Sirius before turning back around as they exited the flat.

They walked a few blocks west of Hermione's flat to a cafe that she knew. While they walked, Hermione's mum talked and updated her daughter on the dental practice. Her mum had quite a few questions, but was well aware that they needed to censor their discussion when walking around muggle London. Once they reached the cafe, Hermione requested a table in a back corner where there was less traffic. Once they decided on lunch and placed their order, Hermione dropped a napkin and then discreetly ducked under the table and cast a silencing spell. Anyone could still walk up to the table, but unless they were within three feet, no one would be able to hear their discussion. Jean was familiar enough with the spell that as soon as it was cast, she relaxed a bit and started asking questions.

"Alright Hermione, so I have a lot of questions. First, how are things at work? Your last note mentioned a restructuring?"

Hermione proceeded to detail her mother on all her departmental changes in the last two weeks. At one point the waiter delivered their drinks and she paused until the waiter left again. Sirius was impressed at Jean's attitude and acceptance of what Hermione was talking about, but then she had raised a witch. He had never given much thought to what it must be like for muggle parents raising a magical child. Jean could never be a part of Hermione's world, but she could sit on the sidelines peeking in and trying to understand. Watching Hermione and her mum was enlightening. As Hermione finished, Jean looked over at Sirius.

"So, how long have you two been together Sirius?"

"About three weeks. Of course, I knew Hermione before my accident. When I left though she was just becoming a woman. I was pleasantly surprised when I returned and found the woman she had grown into. And then when I realized everything she has accomplished, I was quite astounded. She is truly remarkable."

Hermione blushed slightly and put her hand on his. A brief glance passed between them and Jean's breath caught. What she saw pass between them showed a deep attachment. She sipped her tea and formulated her next questions.

"Well, I can certainly see you care for my daughter. I have to admit I'm a bit surprised at the briefness of your relationship considering that you appear to be living with my daughter if I'm correct? Now Hermione, there is no need to be defensive. I see you getting ready to jump in. I understand that you are a grown woman, but I will always be your mother. It's my right to be concerned."

"I understand Jean. And yes, you are correct that we are sharing the flat now. I moved in yesterday. I love Hermione and I would like to give the best impression possible. I'm open to any questions you have."

"Thank you. I do have a few. First, how old are you? Second, what is your background? Have you always grown up in the magical world or were you muggle like Hermione? I'm also a bit curious about your time traveling."

"Alright, I'll answer the first and the last, as they are tied together. I was born in 1959, which makes me 44 by the calendar, except that when I was lost in the veil no time passed, which makes my age closer to 37. As for the details about that, I can give you very little. I was involved in a battle during the war where I found myself in close proximity to an ancient artifact that looks like a doorway with a curtain in it. I was thrown into the doorway by a spell and when I went through it everyone assumed I was dead. Nearly seven years later my next memory is waking up on a beach in Indonesia. I have no memories in between. Your brilliant daughter used her influence to gain access to the Ministry records regarding the doorway and it seems that the device twists time and space in a way that is not completely understood. I am not the first person to have an accident with it, which is why it remains locked up under the tightest security. I was lucky to come out where and when I did."

Sirius stopped to contemplate his drink while he formulated his response to Jean's other question.

"Now, to the other part of your question. I was raised a wizard. I am the last heir to the ancient and most noble house of Black. My family traces its lineage back at least eight hundred years with a number of notable wizards and witches throughout that time. That said, my family has always clung to the ideals of the pure bloods and my parents aligned themselves with Lord Voldemort. I however was the scourge of the family when I decided to reject their ideals. I was disowned at sixteen. Despite that, when my parents died after my brother, I was the only remaining heir. I fought in the first war before being framed by a man who had once been a friend. I spent twelve long years in Azkaban for another man's crimes. Thankfully, my name has since been cleared. I also want to be completely honest with you, for Hermione's sake. In my younger years I was well known as a playboy and as much of a prince as our world has. After everything I've been through and falling in love with Hermione, I can assure you that those days are past. If you receive the Prophet, you may read certain things about me. I won't deny my past, but it is not who I am today."

Jean sat back to absorb everything she had heard. She was glad to be given a couple of minutes. Then their food arrived. Once the waiter had left and they began to eat, she felt she could reply.

"Thank you for your candor. I must say it is a lot to accept, as is most everything from Hermione's world. I can't say that I'm completely at ease with your relationship, but I can see how Hermione feels about you. I ask only one thing of you, treat my daughter well and care for her. Her father and I may never fully understand your world, but she is our princess. I think also that the both of you should come to dinner next Friday. Given the seriousness of your relationship, Phil deserves to meet you."

"Of course Jean, I could do no less. Dinner sounds lovely, if Hermione doesn't have plans with work."

"No, I should be well along with the reorganization by Friday. Six mum?"

Jean nodded and the discussion steered away from the personal to updates on a number of family friends. As they finished eating, Hermione laced her fingers with Sirius nonchalantly and he smiled at her. The little gestures did not go unnoticed by her mother. She may still have her concerns, but she could see the love between the two of them. Jean insisted on paying for lunch and then they left the cafe. When they reached Jean's car, Sirius' gave her one last smile as she said goodbye and hugged her daughter. As they hugged, Jean whispered in Hermione's ear.

"He certainly does know how to pour the charm."

Hermione smirked. "See you Friday mum."

When Hermione and Sirius returned to the flat she wrapped him in a hug and kissed him long and hard.

"Mmm. I don't know how I earned that, but no complaints."

"That's for handling my mum perfectly."

"I just hope your dad is as accepting."

"Dad's main issue is surprises. As soon as mum gets home she'll tell him everything. He won't be happy of course. He still prefers to think of me as an innocent virgin."

Sirius snorted and Hermione swatted him.

"As I was saying, dad won't be happy, but he'll have a week to let the news settle. By Friday he should be civil. I'm afraid though that your charming smile won't have the same effect on him."

"Well, I'll do my best to impress. At least we seem to be done with the weekend of family confrontations. I'm ready to relax after it all."

"Hmm, well, I can think of a way for us to relax." Hermione said as she ran her hands under his sweater.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – Settling In

The next morning Sirius woke to the sounds of the shower. Realizing it was Monday he knew it must be early and Hermione was preparing for work. It felt incredibly right to be where he was, waking up with his nose against her pillow breathing in the scent  
of her fruity shampoo. Sirius smiled and stretched before getting up to use the loo. He took a brief minute to ogle what he could through the steamy shower door. He was tempted to join her, but he knew that shower fun was not something for work mornings.  
Pulling himself away, he headed for the kitchen to start tea and porridge. While he waited on the tea, he fed a loudly insistent Crookshanks. As the tea finished and he stirred the porridge, Hermione appeared and wrapped her arms around him.

"Morning love. You're going to spoil me."

"Well I did promise your mum I'd care for you. Anyway, it's nothing fancy."

Hermione turned him around in her arms and showed him her appreciation. After a long minute, she reluctantly pulled back.

"I better stop or I'll make myself late to work."

Sirius sighed and nodded as he turned to finish their tea while Hermione dished porridge. They were almost ready to sit down when an owl arrived at the kitchen window. Hermione went and collected the Daily Prophet and put a sickle in the pouch on the  
owl before she turned around and set the paper down. Gathering her porridge, she joined Sirius and opened the paper to scan it quickly.

"I don't usually get a chance to read the Prophet straight through, but I do try to scan it each morning so that I have a warning on anything big before I make it to the office."

"That reminds me. You never explained to me about your parents receiving the Prophet. I've never heard of muggles receiving the Prophet before. The papers are supposed to be printed with ink that won't be visible to muggles in case an absent minded wizard  
leaves one lying around."

"Oh yes, I needed to talk to you about that. After my parents were recovered and came back from Australia I had a lot of explaining to do. I actually had never told them about much of what happened at Hogwarts, for fear that they'd pull me out. Once I  
told them everything they were really mixed up for a while. They were hurt a lot more than I realized by my years of keeping secrets from them. They wanted some way to keep up on news from my world. A few other muggle borns expressed the same from  
their parents, so a solution was reached. A select handful of muggles who are parents to witches and wizards receive the Prophet daily, but always one day behind the current edition. The delay allows a charm to be placed on each specific copy linking  
that copy to one or two individuals only. So, if my parents leave a Prophet on the coffee table and someone comes over they see nothing but an old blank piece of newsprint. My parents settled down quite a bit once they knew that I wouldn't be able  
to keep secrets anymore, not that I need to now."

"Wow. Interesting. That's some complicated charm work to code each copy to individuals. How did the Prophet manage that?"

"Um, well, the Prophet wasn't really enthusiastic about the idea. The Ministry was involved."

"The Ministry? Or perhaps one particular witch who works at the Ministry and had a vested interest in finding a solution?"

Hermione shrugged and dug into her porridge. Sirius shook his head and smiled at her.

"Love, you never cease to amaze me. I don't know how I got this lucky."

Hermione leaned across the table and kissed him. "I think we're both lucky."

Hermione finished scanning the front page and then flipped through a couple more pages as she ate her porridge. When she reached page four, she dropped her spoon and let out a small squeak as she turned the paper toward Sirius. The headline that caused  
them both to stop eating read: _Sirius Black, Pure-Blood Heir, Becomes Painter_. The article was brief and basically detailed that Sirius had been seen painting on the street and that his paintings had been spotted by a reporter when they went  
shopping at the notable Grandy's. The reporter also went into detail describing several of his works before finally stating that ' _while Mr. Black's skill is obvious, it is a peculiar profession for someone of his standing._ ' Once he finished  
reading, Sirius sat back and sipped his tea.

"Well, I guess this shouldn't surprise me. The Prophet always has made good print off of me. Of course, I gave them reason to in my younger days. They're probably upset with me for being so boring lately."

"Still, what do they mean 'someone of his standing'? It's not like you hold office."

"It's because I'm pureblood from the oldest lines. Myself, Lucius Malfoy, Flora Greengrass, a few others. We don't have royalty in our world, but a few of us come close, at least as far as some are concerned. That's what I was explaining to your mum.  
There are quite a few people who may not have followed Voldemort but still idealize the idea of pureblood. It's all shite really when you consider that keeping the blood pure has meant keeping our lines way too tight among cousins. It's part of what  
I tried to walk away from. Unfortunately, I am the last of the Black line and I can't escape fully. Hermione, you need to understand that being with me will bring you under scrutiny, especially since you are muggle born. I'm surprised that I haven't  
been paid a social call yet. When I was younger I was constantly being asked around to various parties and events. Of course, they weren't the type of parties I preferred and I stayed away as best as possible. I don't want to hide us, but I also don't  
want you subjected to their scrutiny."

"Love, I may not fully understand what being a pureblood means, but scrutiny I am used to. I was one third of the 'golden trio'. After the war Harry, Ron and I couldn't go anywhere without cameras flashing. One time at a Ministry party, there was a reporter  
who caught Ron and I in a compromising position in a bathroom of all places. She hid in a stall and photographed us in the bathroom if you can believe it. I think I can handle the scrutiny of being with my pureblood prince."

Sirius took Hermione's hand and began kissing each finger.

"I love you. I hadn't thought about what it must have been like right after the war. I guess with everything you've been through, taking me on won't be so bad."

Hermione smiled, kissed Sirius one more time and then left for work. Sirius spent the next several hours painting before gathering two finished watercolors and his two acrylics and leaving the flat to visit Grandy's. Nathaniel was happy to see him and  
greeted Sirius enthusiastically.

"Sirius old boy! I see you brought me something else? Excellent! How about that article in the Prophet? Already had a couple curiosity seekers come through the shop this morning. Oh, and one of your paintings sold on Friday. Fellow I mentioned was interested  
before came back after thinking on it. Tried to talk me down, but I refused. In fact, your paintings are the least expensive in the store. I decided to start low and see what the reaction was, but now I think it's time to raise them up to the level  
of some of my others. Let's go talk in the back. We'll need to add your new items to the contract list as well."

An hour later Sirius left with the payment for his fourth sold work and a revised contract. His paintings were now listing at the new prices of 180 and 250. Nathaniel still was a bit unsure about the more modern works, but Sirius had refused to move and  
convinced him to list them for the same. He had also negotiated the commission to 18%, given the fact that the paintings were selling quickly, minimizing Nathaniel's time investment. Sirius may not have enjoyed his popularity, but the article in the  
Prophet would increase traffic in Grandy's, giving an added boost to his commission. Sirius returned to the flat after and collected his easel before heading downtown to begin a new painting.

That evening Sirius fixed a simple shepherd's pie that had been one Euphemia Potter's renowned recipes. Although simple, the dish was well seasoned and quite delicious. It also kept well with a warming charm, which was good since Hermione wasn't sure  
what time she would be home. Surprisingly, she made it back to the flat shortly after six. Walking in, she spotted Sirius sprawled on a couch reading and smelled something delicious cooking. Sirius looked up when she came in.

"Evening love. You made it home in good time."

"Yes, I made a point of wrapping up as soon as I could. I knew you'd be waiting. It's much more motivating to rush home when I know I've got you waiting. And it smells amazing in here."

Sirius came over and kissed Hermione for a good long minute before pulling back. She took a moment to catch her breath.

"Wow, I am definitely making sure to get home on time. If it didn't smell so good, I be tempted to drag you to the bedroom right now."

"Food now, fun later."

"That had better be a promise."

Sirius laughed and Hermione went to change out of her suit while he dished dinner. While they ate, Sirius delivered his news about his increased commissions, which Hermione was pleasantly surprised by. Then she detailed him on her day and recent political  
wranglings among departments. Several other departments were displeased with the allocations her department had received and she had spent a good part of the day attempting to smooth relations. Sirius marveled once again at her ability to work with  
all the internal politics at the Ministry. If it had been him, he would have told them all where to stick their bloody ideas. He was definitely better suited to the solitary pursuit of painting. After dinner, Hermione insisted on doing the clean up  
since Sirius had cooked. They then took their drinks to the living room and curled up on the couch to read. Hermione rested up against Sirius' chest as they sprawled and felt truly relaxed, which was rare after work. An hour later Sirius set his book  
aside and began to lightly stroke Hermione's hair, gradually working down to her shoulder. Taking the hint, she closed her book and looked up at him. Standing, she took him by the hand and led him to the bedroom.

Sirius undressed Hermione slowly, planting hundreds of kisses along her body as he went. In between, she gradually worked his shirt off and the sight of his chest sent a shiver through her. At the same time, Sirius' kisses made their way to her thighs  
and she moaned for him. Then he worked his way higher and planted a kiss on her mound before gently opening her folds and driving his tongue into her clit. Hermione gave a small squeak and began to thrust into his face when Sirius suddenly stopped  
and began to kiss his way back up her body.

"Please Sirius.."

"Shh love, I have plans for you, but I need to be in you first."

"Then take me already."

As Hermione moaned, Sirius' tongue began working her left nipple while his hands quickly dropped his pants. As Hermione closed her eyes and focused on the pleasure he was applying to her chest, he suddenly picked her up and moved her back to the bed.  
Setting her on the edge, Sirius pulled her legs up to his shoulders while leering down on her. Hermione was trembling as she realized how he was positioning her. Then he leaned forward and gave her one more kiss before burying his throbbing erection  
in one long, swift thrust. He set a fast pace, knowing her need and that slow loving would follow later. Now they both needed to cum desperately. Within minutes Hermione exploded and came so violently that she would have been thrown off the bed if  
Sirius hadn't held her legs. He kept thrusting through her orgasm and finally came shortly after her, collapsing onto her as he clutched the edge of the bed and rode out his wave of pleasure. Once they both settled, they rolled together into the middle  
of the bed and lay staring at each other. Sirius felt completely drained and was beginning to doze when Hermione moved down the bed and began to lick his flaccid member. As he began to harden, she took him in her mouth and started to artfully blow  
him. Fully awake and hard again, Sirius flipped her over and slipped back into her as Hermione urged him on. The second time for the evening was long and sensual as they traded kisses and caresses between strokes. At one point Hermione urged him to  
turn and placed herself on top. She set a pace of long, slow and delicious strokes as she moved herself up and down on him. As she neared her climax, Sirius reached forward and worked her clit with his fingers, pushing her over the edge once again.  
As she clamped down on him, he stopped holding back and emptied himself into her once again. Minutes later they were asleep.

The next morning Sirius woke to the sounds of the shower and when he went to pee, a flustered a Hermione came barreling out of the shower and began to rush around the bathroom.

"Sirius love, sorry, in a terrible hurry. I need to be at work in ten. We really must set an alarm before we get distracted in the evenings. By the time you're done with me, my brain is mush and I forget. Not that I'm complaining!"

Hermione softened her words as she reached for her hairbrush and kissed Sirius as he left the bathroom. He went to the kitchen and started tea. When Hermione ran out minutes later, he handed her a travel mug and a bag with a bagel. She kissed him appreciatively  
and then disappeared as Sirius sat down and finally had a chance to wake up.

The rest of the week went by quickly and they set a routine as they began to learn to live with one another. Most nights Sirius cooked, although on Thursday Hermione was home by 5:30 and was able to help. Sirius spent his days painting and puttering around  
the flat. Wednesday morning was still dedicated to stocking at Wheezes. It was a nice change in the middle of the week. As their first week living together wrapped, Sirius was starting to think that he wouldn't mind being a house husband. Especially  
since Hermione was always quite appreciative.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Meet the Parents

Friday night arrived and Hermione was home early, shortly after five, to prepare for dinner at her parents'. Sirius found himself unusually nervous, despite Hermione's reassurance. At five minutes until six, they apparated to the Grangers' backyard and knocked on the sliding door. Sirius felt a bit unsure about coming in from the back, but Hermione assured him that was the usual way she arrived. Jean was waiting and welcomed them in with hugs for both of them. Hermione led him through the kitchen and into the den, where Phil Granger was waiting. He stepped forward to hug his daughter and then took Sirius' outstretched hand as he cast an appraising eye over his daughter's boyfriend.

"Dad, this is Sirius Black. Sirius, my father, Phil Granger."

"Good evening Mr. Granger. It's good to meet the man who Hermione has spoken of so fondly."

"Please, it's Phil. Jean has said you prefer Sirius? An unusual name, although perhaps not in the magical community."

"Yes, please. I'm not a formal person. My name is not terribly unusual, many of the old magical families used astronomy when selecting names. Of course, my mates in school never gave it rest. 'Why so serious Sirius?', that sort of thing."

Phil Granger gave a big booming laugh and clapped Sirius on the back.

"Indeed! I can imagine a few of my mates would do much the same. I guess some things about boys are the same, magical or muggle."

Sirius chuckled, glad to be off to what seemed to be an auspicious start with Phil Granger. Jean came in to offer drinks and Sirius accepted the same scotch Phil was drinking. Soon the four of them settled into the comfortable den and Hermione began to detail her parents on work. Then Phil turned to Sirius to inquire about his painting.

"So Sirius, Jean tells me you're a painter. She says you appear to be quite good."

"Well, the one painting she saw was only half complete. I have sold a few of my works and just negotiated a new contract with the gallery that commissions my work. Due to my pure blood status, I received a bit of a write up in the Prophet about my paintings and it generated an increase of traffic at the gallery. The proprietor increased the prices and I negotiated a 2% commission decrease. It may not seem like much, but every bit counts."

"Hmm, interesting. I can't say that I'm that well versed on art. That's more Jean's area. Still, I'd like to see some of your work sometime. Do you think you'll be able to make a good living at it?"

Sirius saw where this line of questioning was going and felt Hermione shift in her seat next to him. It was only natural of course for a father to inquire after his daughter's boyfriend's prospects and Sirius wanted to reassure him.

"Well, being an artist doesn't bring in a regular salary, but so far in the last two weeks I've made a bit over 500 galleons. As you are aware, the exchange rate is about 5.2 pounds to the galleon, so that gives an estimate on how I'm doing so far. Of course, I'm still early in my career, so hopefully those numbers will increase. Also, I have my inheritance. I am the last heir of the ancient house of Black and our vault was established in Gringotts 417 years ago. While I don't plan on delving into it on a regular basis, it is there if I ever feel the need to splurge or if an emergency comes up."

Phil sipped his scotch and smiled at Sirius while Hermione gave his knee a gentle squeeze. Downing the last of his drink, Sirius decided to make one more point.

"Of course, that is just taking into account my own finances. Hermione was doing quite well financially with her position at the Ministry before I came along."

As Phil finished his drink, Jean announced she needed to finish a few last details for dinner and gestured for Hermione to join her. Sirius and Phil began discussing London when Sirius mentioned that he had recently been spending more time among muggles and found the city fascinating. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Jean had almost everything complete, but was glad for a few minutes with her daughter.

"Well Hermione, Sirius seems to be getting on well with your father. I must say he has been quite forthright regarding his financial status. You know that isn't the most important thing, but it does ease a father's mind. For me though I have to ask, how serious are you two? He's only the third boyfriend we've met and I know you've had quite a few."

Hermione was momentarily shocked by her mother's comment, as well as the cheeky grin her mother gave her.

"Mum! You act like I've had a boyfriend for every month."

"Well certainly not that often, but I'm not as delusional about you as your father. So, how serious are you two? Don't ignore my question."

"Fine. Sirius and I are quite attached. Honestly, I haven't been this attached since Ron, even more so than Lee. He's a lot more than appears on the surface. He invades my thoughts and distracts me at the oddest times during the day and he makes me want to call in sick in the mornings. And you know how dedicated I am to my work."

"Hmm, yes. He must be quite spectacular in the bedroom then." Jean smirked at her daughter.

"Alright, that is definitely a conversation we are not having mum. Here, the potatoes are mixed now."

Jean laughed at Hermione's attempt to change the subject, but decided to not let up quite yet.

"You don't have to be embarrassed dear. We're both grown women and after what I saw when he first came out in his trunks, I must say I understand the attraction. Are the tattoos from prison? Oh, and that smile of his. He certainly knows how to pour on the charm."

"Fine, yes, the tattoos are from prison. And the bedroom isn't the only room he's spectacular in."

Hermione smirked at her mother and grabbed a bowl of vegetables as Jean looked at her a bit shocked. Hermione took the vegetables to the dining room. When she returned to the kitchen, her mother gave her sly smile as she shook her head. A few minutes later the four of them were enjoying dinner while Phil kept up a friendly banter with Sirius and Hermione, with Jean interjecting occasional comments. The initial nervousness had passed and the evening progressed well as everyone relaxed.

After dinner, they returned to the den for after dinner drinks and the conversation turned to a subject that Hermione had been hoping to avoid. It came up after Phil turned to Sirius to refill his drink.

"So Sirius, Jean told me you spent a number of years in prison. She said you were framed and eventually cleared. So all the charges are off your record?"

"Dad, I don't think…"

"It's alright Hermione, your parents have a right to know. I would ask the same if I was in Phil's position."

Phil smiled at Sirius' comment and then Sirius began the full story of the Marauders and how four friends had become three when one betrayed them. He continued on to the story of the Shrieking Shack and how the truth had finally come to light. He gave them many more details than Hermione would have preferred. Her parents were especially shocked to learn that one of the four friends had been a werewolf and the other three had trained to be Animagi. Hermione contemplated stopping him at several points, but after she had retrieved them from Australia, she had promised her parents to never hide any of her magical world from them again. Phil downed an extra shot of scotch as Sirius finished his tale and sat back to assess the Grangers' reaction. It was Jean who found her voice first.

"Wow. That's quite a tale Sirius. Five years ago I may not have believed you, but after everything we learned when Hermione brought us home after the war, I guess nothing is out of the realm of possibility. Hermione, I see you look upset. Why?"

Hermione sighed and Sirius put his arm around her reassuringly.

"I just didn't think Sirius would tell you everything. I know it's still difficult for him. So I have mixed feelings. I worry what you and dad think. And I worry that it's painful for Sirius and I especially worry that I think he's been doing well so far this evening, but now what will you think of him?"

Tears welled in her eyes as Hermione buried her face in Sirius' chest. He held her tight and looked concerned. Finally, Phil spoke.

"Pumpkin, it's okay. I can't say that it's easy, but I appreciate Sirius being straight with us. We told you to never hide your world from us again. It's obvious how much you care for each other and that's the most important thing for a father. It may take some time to fully comprehend, but it's no worse than a third of what we learned after we came home from Australia. I do wonder if I can ask something Sirius?"

"Of course."

"When you transform, can you do it whenever? Does it hurt? How long does it take?"

"It doesn't take long and it doesn't hurt. Would you like to see?"

Hermione gasped.

"Love, would you mind? If your parents want to see, I'm willing."

Hermione and Phil both nodded and Sirius stood up and stepped to the side of the coffee table. Taking a moment to focus, Sirius began to crouch and then his body started to change. Within ten seconds a large black dog stood where the man had once been. The dog bounded across the room and put his paws on Hermione's lap before licking her face. Hermione laughed and pushed him down. The dog returned back across the room and began to stretch. Seconds later, Sirius stood in front of them again. He looked at Phil, whose mouth hung open. Jean stared at him, suddenly pale. Sirius went to sit next to Hermione and Phil found his voice.

"Well. That was certainly impressive."

Jean nodded in agreement and, after a couple minutes of silence, Hermione changed the subject back to the safe area of her mother's fundraising for the local children's hospital. When Hermione finally declared that it was time for them to leave, Jean gave them each a long hug. Then Phil came over and hugged his daughter before turning to Sirius and clapping him on the back. As he turned around, he gave his daughter a warm smile with a bit of a nod that told Hermione that he approved. She smiled back and wiped away one tear as she and Sirius exited to the backyard and apparated back to the flat.

Upon arriving home, Hermione gave Sirius a long hug. He could sense tension in her and started kissing her neck to relax her, before pulling back and looking in her eyes.

"I think it went well love. Not easy, but your parents are good people. They love you and I think they see we're in love."

"Yes, I know. I just wasn't prepared for them to see you as Padfoot. I thought mum might pass out."

"I had to be honest. It's important."

Hermione nodded and gave him a small smile before letting Sirius wrap her in his arms again.

With the Grangers' approval, the last potential hurdle to their relationship seemed to be past and Hermione couldn't believe how happy and comfortable life felt. She was happier than she had been since Ron and realized that with her and Sirius there was much more to the relationship than she had ever had before. Maybe it was just that she had grown up, but whatever it was she found herself rearranging her priorities.

As they moved into their second week living together, both Hermione and Sirius discovered small annoying habits of each other. For Sirius it was Hermione's need to always clean up and organize, even lining up his painting supplies in the corner studio he had designated in the living room. For Hermione, it was the way Sirius folded towels and the fact that he left dark hairs in the shower rather than rinsing the shower out. Each of them stayed peeved for a couple days, but Hermione insisted they talk it out. Sirius didn't have much experience talking during his relationships and tended to be moody so he grumbled and tried to ignore the issues until Hermione cornered him. Once they each realized how petty the issues were, they came to an agreement on each item. Hermione agreed that as long as Sirius kept his studio corner neat, she wouldn't touch or organize it despite her feeling that his layout was illogical. He in turn would correct his towel folding and rinse out the shower. They both relaxed once they worked the issues and promised to not let things fester in the future. Then Sirius kissed Hermione, flicked his wand to close the curtains and pushed her onto the couch for a fantastic round of make-up sex.

That Friday they were back at Grimmauld Place for dinner with Harry and Ginny. James was growing and changing daily. Sirius held him and smiled foolishly as the baby gurgled at him. When Quisi announced dinner, Ginny put the baby in a cradle in the corner. Sirius had tried to convince her that he could hold James and eat one handed, but Ginny had given him a look that said otherwise and he was smart enough to know when not to argue with a Weasley woman. They talked well past dinner, updating each other on news from the past weeks. Hermione relayed the story of her mother's impromptu arrival at the flat and seeing Sirius for the first time when he was wearing only his trunks. Sirius didn't think the story was very funny, but Ginny thought otherwise as she howled. Harry and Hermione also talked about the news from their departments. Harry had heard a lot of second hand rumors about the department restructuring and Hermione straightened out some of what he had heard.

Around eight Ginny declared it was time to bathe James and put him to bed. She insisted that Sirius and Harry stay and talk while she and Hermione went upstairs. The men talked for a while, but then it seemed to be taking a while so they went upstairs to check on Ginny and Hermione. When they arrived at the nursery, Hermione was walking with James as she tried to get him to sleep. The baby was tucked under her chin as she cooed softly to him. Sirius stood in the door watching in awe as he felt himself become aroused. Ginny had finished cleaning up in the bathroom and she came to stand next to Harry and Sirius. Seeing the look on Sirius' face, Ginny smiled and whispered.

"She's going make a great mother someday Sirius."

Sirius just nodded.

A few minutes later James was asleep and Hermione put him in his crib. The four friends returned back downstairs and Hermione and Sirius left a couple minutes later, apparating back to the flat. As soon as they arrived, Sirius was on her. Hermione didn't object as he carried her to the bedroom and took her quickly and passionately. His eyes were on fire and she wondered what had come over him. Then she came and all rational thoughts left her.

They spent the rest of weekend sightseeing around London. They decided to use a muggle tourist guide and go to all the top recommended spots. Sirius was surprised at how little he knew about the city after all and Hermione rediscovered places she hadn't seen since childhood. They were giddy and in love as they cherished each minute together. Hermione realized on Sunday evening as she prepared her clothes for the next day that she hadn't thought about work once the entire weekend.

The next week settled into the same pattern as the previous. It was wonderfully routine and Sirius found that he had reached a point in life where that was welcome. On Tuesday evening Hermione came home just after five and settled in to watch Sirius as he finished a painting. He could tell she had something on her mind and as soon as he finished, he turned and looked at her appraisingly.

"Alright love, what is it? I can tell you have something on your mind, but I can't determine if it's good or bad."

"You know we well love. I'm not sure good or bad either. Maybe a bit of both."

Sirius raised an eyebrow in question and waited for Hermione to continue.

"I received an invitation today to a function happening in five weeks. It's the annual spring gala and fundraiser for St. Mungo's charitable fund. As an assistant to the Minister and the head of a high profile department, I'm basically obligated to accept. I've been before and I can't say it's much fun, but it is the place to be seen and make connections. I know how you feel about such things and I'm afraid you'll hate it, but I also don't want to go alone. Also, if we go together, then there will be no more denying our relationship. The Prophet will have a seizure over us."

Sirius sighed. "Well, it sounds like it's important for your career. I don't see that we have much choice. It may not be my idea of fun, but I should survive one night. As for the Prophet, I don't bloody well care. We're in love and it's nobody's business but ours."

Hermione smiled and reached out as Sirius took her in his arms. She looked up and kissed him deeply.

"Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Perhaps, but it bears repeating."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19 – The Gala

Hermione stood in the bathroom finishing the last of her makeup when Sirius came in to check on her. She'd been in the bathroom for a while and the last time she had seen Sirius he only had his trousers on. Now he was completely dressed and ready for the St. Mungo's gala, and he looked sumptuous. Hermione had to stop and turn to him while she gave him a full review. He was wearing a dark three piece suit under long, custom tailored dress robes made of the finest, light silk. His suit vest was a shimmery gold and at his neck he wore a cravat of burgundy with gold flecks. They had decided to go in Gryffindor colors and Sirius accentuated the theme with a large ring on his right hand. It was gold with the head of a lion, mouth open and roaring with a ruby in its jaws. As Hermione's eyes raked over him, she leaned in and inhaled his scent as she whispered in his ear.

"You look delicious darling. I'm exercising all my self-control to not attack you right now."

Sirius kissed her before stepping back. "I could say the same love. I think I will step out and let you finish before we make ourselves unpardonably late."

Once Sirius left, Hermione turned back to finish her makeup and put in her earrings. Ten minutes later she appeared in the living room and Sirius stood up and took her hand. His approval was obvious as he stood, mouth agape and stared at her. Hermione had opted for a shimmery red floor length dress with a gold swath of beads at the waist. She accented the look with gold heels and a single drop star ruby necklace that had been a happy find in the family vault. Two more stars glittered out from her ruby stud earrings that were visible behind a few loose tendrils of hair that swept down from her loose bun. Her makeup was flawless and she had paid special attention to her eyes, which drew Sirius in as he stared at her.

"Gods above, you're gorgeous my love."

Hermione chuckled. "Turning into a poet dear?"

"With a muse like you, how could I not?"

They stood staring at each other and each saw the passion in the other's eyes. Hermione finally collected herself and took a deep breath as she spoke.

"Well, we really must be going love. Ready?"

Sirius nodded and they apparated to the check point the Ministry had set up outside the hotel where the gala was being held. The hotel was muggle, but owned by a squib and had been rented out for the evening to allow the guests the freedom to move about without worrying about secrecy statutes. From the apparition point, Sirius took Hermione's arm and led her into the ballroom. The place was already quite busy as a light waltz played and a few people danced. The majority of attendees were mingling about the room, beginning their evening of social obligations. When Hermione and Sirius entered, most heads turned and a hush briefly fell across the room, followed shortly after by a hiss of whispers. The first to come forward and greet them was Kingsley, whose sly smile betrayed his feelings.

"Good evening Hermione, Sirius. Well, I must say this is a surprise. I do believe the two of you will give the reporters fits. You're looking as beautiful as always Hermione, and you're rather dashing as well Sirius. Am I to assume by the way you're holding onto each other that Sirius is more than just a date for the night?"

"Yes Kingsley. Sirius and I have been together for a couple months now and are sharing the flat."

"Hmm, really? Decided to settle down then. Well, I'm happy for you. Sirius, take care of her. She's one of kind."

Sirius nodded and smiled at Kingsley as he planted a light kiss on Hermione's cheek before drifting back into the crowd. As he did, Sirius turned to Hermione.

"Well, that was interesting. He really cares for you."

"Yes, Kingsley is a good man and a fair boss. We are careful to keep the friendship separate from work, but I know he always looks out for me."

As they talked, a middle aged woman with dark hair and piercing blue eyes approached them. Sirius saw her coming and whispered quickly in Hermione's ear.

"Look out. Flora Greengrass incoming. We're about to be assessed."

The woman reached them and held out her hand to Sirius, who took it and planted a kiss in the air just above it.

"Sirius darling! I had heard you were back. I haven't seen you in twenty years, but you haven't lost the charm. I must say, it's good to see you paying attention to social obligations. Now, care to introduce me to your companion?"

Sirius pasted on his most ingratiating smile. "Flora, may I introduce my girlfriend, Hermione Granger. Hermione is senior assistant to the Minister in charge of magical creature relations. Hermione, this is Flora Greengrass, a longtime friend of my family."

"Mrs. Greengrass, a pleasure. I was acquainted with your daughters in school. Daphne and I were the same year."

"Yes, of course. I do believe Daph mentioned you. Muggle born and top of the class. Quite remarkable. Ah, but if you will excuse me, I see Mafalda and I need to discuss a situation with her. Very good to meet you Miss Granger. A pleasure seeing you again Sirius."

As Flora left, Hermione and Sirius turned around and she let out a long breath. Looking at her, Sirius contained a chuckle.

"You handled Flora perfectly darling. Sly way for you to point out her age. And you controlled yourself amazingly well despite her haughty comments. I know she must hate to have to accept non purebloods, especially at functions like this."

"So this gala was once pureblood only?"

"Yes, or at least mostly so. Occasionally a half blood would sneak in with a spouse, but it was discouraged. Come, let's check the auction next door."

They proceeded from the ballroom to an attached side room where a number of tables had been set up with items available on silent auction as part of the St. Mungo's fundraiser. Sirius had donated one of his garden scenes for the auction and it sat to the right side on an easel. They made their way around the room and then returned to the ballroom, where they were pleasantly surprised to see Arthur and Molly arriving. They made their way over, giving each of the Weasleys a hug. Molly stepped back and admired the two of them.

"Well, I do say the two of you make quite a striking couple. I'm sure the Prophet will be all over your story."

"Yes Molly, we figured on that and decided we're fine with it. This is sort of our coming out party."

"Well I'm glad to see you. These affairs are always stuffy and it will be good to have someone to talk to."

"Indeed Molly. I'm surprised to see the two of you. You normally skip these functions."

"Well, with Arthur being moved up from assistant to director of muggle relations we were politely informed that our attendance would be expected. And I see Clara coming this way. Looks like duty calls. See you two later."

Hermione and Sirius separated from the Weasleys and continued through the crowd, stopping frequently to talk to different people and be introduced to others. The event really was the place to be seen and make connections. Once she felt they had mingled enough, Hermione took Sirius' hand and they made their way to the dance floor. The dance was a well paced foxtrot and they performed admirably. At one point in mid twirl, Hermione spotted a photographer on the side and sighed as she realized that the press had definitely taken notice. After the first dance, she and Sirius began trading off partners. At one point Hermione found herself pleasantly paired with her former professor Horace Slughorn. When the music changed she found herself partnered with Arthur and then she danced with Miles Greeley, director of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. After several songs, she found her way back to Sirius and they stepped off the floor to take a break. After another hour of alternating between socializing and dancing, they had both had enough. As soon as a handful of couples began to leave, Hermione and Sirius took advantage of the opportunity and said their goodbyes as well. Minutes later they arrived back at the flat and collapsed on the couch.

"Thank the gods that's over with. My face hurts from trying to hold a smile."

"I know love, but we did get to see a lot of people."

"And we were seen by a lot of people as well. How much you want to bet we get a front page mention in the Prophet tomorrow?"

"That's not a bet, it's a guarantee. I saw three different photographers aiming for us at different times."

"Well, I'm done for tonight and now I'm getting out of this suit. I feel like I'm being choked."

"Hmm, need help getting out of it?"

Sirius grinned as Hermione stood and looked down on him. She reached down and helped pull him up before reaching for his coat and beginning to undo it. She spent several long minutes divesting Sirius of his many articles of clothing. As he stood in just his trousers, he spun her around and unzipped her dress, which shimmered to the floor. Turning her back around, he dipped his head to her breasts as she reached for his zipper. Left only in their underclothes, they became frantic as they ran to the bedroom and quickly removed the last few encumbrances. Seconds later Sirius had Hermione on the bed and was in her before she could catch her breath. Minutes later he had her screaming his name before he pulled one of her legs up over his shoulder and angled himself in deeper. He continued pounding into her for a few more minutes before he emptied himself at the same time Hermione peaked for a second time. As they collapsed, sweaty and panting, Sirius leaned over and kissed her.

"Best part of the night."

"Agreed."

The next morning they slept in until the sound of insistent pecking on the bedroom window woke them. Crookshanks was sitting on a night table, watching the owl who was trying to get their attention. Setting the cat on the floor, Hermione opened the window and took the paper that was being delivered. Settling back on the bed, she spread the paper out and gasped. Sirius was just starting to wake and sat up to look.

"Wow. Guess we got our mention plus some."

Hermione just nodded as she looked at the moving half page picture of she and Sirius on the dance floor under the title: **Sirius Black Dazzles Gala Alongside Golden Trio Member Hermione Granger**.

They had definitely arrived.

FINIS

o-o-o-o

 _Well this seems to be a good place end this story. The original idea was only supposed to be a half dozen chapters, but it kept developing. I have a hard time not fleshing my characters out. Thank you to everyone for the reviews. I'm happy that so many of you enjoyed this. I'm off to work on my long story, Life's Interlude. I may at some future point write a sequel, but not sure yet._


End file.
